Rebirth
by GreenEies
Summary: Rebirth is a AU story based on the FF7 Advent Children movie. Cloud and Tifa have conceived a child, but is it their child or Jenova's? Tifa struggles with the Others and with Jenova while Cloud races to find her when she is taken by Kadj and his brothe
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This story is based on the movie, Final Fantasy Advent Children and presents an alternate story line. My story begins about 15 minutes into the movie, after Loz and Tifa's battle at the church. I have taken quite a bit of license with the character's past relationships. I hope you enjoy my version. _

_Disclaimer: This is an original piece of fiction based on the movie Advent Children. It was written by GreenEyez and cannot be reused or republished in part or in whole without my permission. It cannot be used for commercial purposes under any circumstances. I can be reached at with any questions or comments._

Chapter 1 - The Recovery 

Cloud woke with a splitting headache to find himself in a room that was strangely familiar. As his eyes and head cleared he realized where he was; back at Tifa's bar in the bedroom upstairs usually occupied by Marlene. He tried to sit up but thought better of it when the dull pain in his head changed to a sharp pain shooting down through the back of his neck to his left arm. He groaned softly and rubbed his forehead and lay still for a few seconds while his eyes adjusted to the bright light streaming in through the windows to his right. He tried sitting again, this time slowly, and looked around. Next to him, on the other bed, he saw Tifa out cold, her chest rising and falling with her soft rhythmic breathing. He swung his legs over the bed and discovered someone had removed his shoes. His stockinged feet hit the cold floor and he stood unsteadily upright. The sharp pain in his head and arm had receded into the familiar dull throb which he tried to massage away with his other hand, only to discover that his shoes weren't the only thing missing from his wardrobe. Where was his shoulder guard . . . . and his sword! He looking around the room and saw his missing gear on a chair by the window, his sword glinting in the sun. At that moment, Tifa groaned softly and shifted restlessly on the bed. Cloud looked down at her. A spill of dark chocolate brown hair flowed over the pillow on which she laid, covering her face. Her arms draped across her stomach as she turned on to her side, still asleep. As she moved, Cloud could see a glimpse of her face, her eyes shut, her face troubled by whatever dream she was having.

Cloud could see that someone had removed some of Tifa's clothes also. Her shoes and gloves lay on the same chair as his shoulder guard, along with her leather shirt, leaving her wearing only a thin white singlet and her leather skirt. Tifa shifted on the bed again, this time turning on to her back, her breathing getting quicker and shallower. She was obviously in some sort of battle. As she shifted in the bed, her shirt moved up her stomach slightly, revealing part of what looked like a deep bruise covering her rib cage. He winced when he saw how deep it looked and sat down on the bed next to her, placing his hand on her side. He looked into her face. That beautiful face he had come to love over the past years. A sad and lovely face that held the secrets of the world and the strength of the planet. He brushed a stray strand of her hair out of her eyes and ran his thumb down her jawline. As he did this, a tiny tear escaped her closed eyes and ran down her cheek.

The warmth of Cloud's hand reached Tifa deep in her dream, bringing her to the surface like rising from a pool of deep water to the cool air above. She awoke to see Cloud's concerned face looking into hers. At first she was disoriented, not knowing where she was. The last thing she remembered was Loz punching her in the chest, shattering the column he had pinned her to. She did not remember Cloud finding her in the church or how she got to this room. Suddenly the memory of what had happened in that church came flooding back. She sat up suddenly and immediately wished she hadn't as pain racked her body, emanating from the bruise on her ribs.

"He took Marlene!"

"What were you dreaming about?" Cloud asked.

"What?" She looked at him, not understanding his question. Didn't he hear her? That bastard took Marlene!

"I was watching you sleep. You looked like you were having a bad dream. What was it about?"

Tifa shook her head to try and clear the cobwebs there. Her ribs hurt when she breathed. Her dream was fading fast but his question brought it back the forefront of her mind. She remembered again the feeling it left her with. A feeling of terror, abandonment, incredible sadness, and excruciating pain. She shivered and closed her eyes. She saw again the malevolent grin and heard the laugh. She saw the pale blue eyes with pupils narrowed to a fine slit boring into her mind. She trembled as she felt again the ripping pain tear through her body as she labored with this birth.

"I don't remember now" she answered.

Cloud watched as she reacted to his question. He saw her tremble slightly. Suddenly she was no longer the warrior he knew, but a small and vulnerable girl carrying the pain of the world on her shoulders. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and hold her, make the pain go away. He knew deep down somewhere in his soul that he was the cause of some of her pain, but he couldn't bring himself to comfort her. Aeris still haunted him. He knew she haunted them both.

"What were you doing at the church, Tifa?"

She looked up at him and was struck again by his deep blue eyes. Why did they have such power over her? Why, every time she saw him, did she develop a lump in her throat and a pain in her chest? She had tried so hard over the years they had fought side by side to bury the feelings she had for him since they were children together. She watched as his infatuation with Aeris grew. She knew she would always be second best.

"We came to look for you. Marlene wanted . . . "

Her voice trailed off when she caught sight of Cloud's left arm.

"So I was right. It's the Geostigma."

Cloud turned away from her, still sitting on the bed, moving his arm out of her line of sight.

"Is this why you hide from us? From the people who care about you?"

"There is nothing that can be done. Why stay here and run the risk of infecting . . . others," Cloud mumbled.

"We could fight it together. Denzel is trying his best, isn't he?" she said, referring to one of the orphans she had taken in from the streets. Memories of her dream fading now.

At that moment, they heard a noise on the stairs outside the bedroom door. The door burst open and in walked Reno and Rude, their nemeses from Turk.

"You were heavy," said Reno.

"You were living with the orphans, right?" Rude asked Cloud.

Cloud stood and turned to the Turks standing by the door.

"The room was empty," Rude said in reply to Cloud's unspoken question. "Is that alright with you?"

"Who are they? Who did this to Tifa?" asked Cloud of the two.

"We told you already. Kadj is starting trouble again" replied Reno.

"He asked me where his Mother was . . ." Tifa said softly, her memory of what happened in the church returning now.

"Where is Marlene?" Tifa sat up and swung her legs over the bed to stand. Blood rushed from her face as the pain from Loz's punch returned in full force, knocking her back down to the bed. She gasped and wrapped her arms around her stomach.

"What did that asshole do to me?" she croaked.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Geostigma 

"So what now?" asked Reno in his usual laconic tone.

He was getting bored with this exchange. He was pissed that he had to be in the same room with that spikey headed jerk Cloud, let alone bring him here out of danger. He had to admit, though, it was not without a little satisfaction that he had stood over Tifa and Cloud in the church seeing them both on their backs, so to speak. He thought long and hard about giving Cloud a kick in the head as he lay there and would have, if Rude hadn't read his thoughts and stopped him from acting.

He and Rude had followed Loz on the orders of the President, their boss with the ShinRa Company. They arrived at the church in time to see Loz leaving with Marlene squirming under one arm and a large chest under the other. They watched as Loz strapped the chest to his bike, all the while holding Marlene under his arm and then speed off on his motorcycle. Reno's curiosity got the better of him and just as he was about to dart into the church to see what had happened, they both heard the roar of another motorcycle. This time the sound was all too familiar.

"It's that jerk, Cloud. Lets just watch what happens, shall we?" said Reno.

Rude rolled his eyes at his partner. "Whatever."

They watched from their perch high above the church. They knew they could not be seen from this vantage and had a great view of the front of the building. They watched as Cloud dismounted Fenrir and strolled into the church. A few seconds later they heard him call out a name. It sounded like Tifa.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Rude yelled as his partner ran down the hill towards the church.

"I just want to see what the fuss was all about".

Rude caught up to Reno inside the church. He found his partner standing over two prone bodies lying in the middle of a mass of flowers. It was Cloud and Tifa! Both of them were obviously unconscious. He could see why Tifa was out cold; the bruise on her side and chest was visible as an angry red welt. But what the hell was wrong with Cloud?

"What did you do?" Rude asked.

Reno chuckled softly. "This is almost too good to be true." He couldn't take his eyes off Tifa. His feelings about her were a confused mix of hatred and lust. After all, she was a choice piece of ass and that shirt of hers had shifted up to reveal the swell of her breasts beneath. He rubbed his chin where she hit him during their last battle, and spat.

"Help me get them back to that bar she works at" said Rude, bringing Reno out of his reverie.

"Why the hell should we do that? Let them lie here. They look so . . peaceful," he asked.

"You know why, come on, help me."

Rude sent Reno to get the SUV. He didn't trust his friend with either of their charges alone. He then carried both bodies out to the vehicle and drove off for the bar.

This was how Reno found himself standing in a small child's bedroom in a bar in the wrong part of town. He rolled his eyes as Tifa fell back on to the bed.

Rude and Reno stood at the door, watching the conflict display across Cloud's face. He obviously wanted to go and find Marlene and the man who attacked Tifa, but he didn't want to leave Tifa in this weakened condition.

"I . . . . ." Cloud stammered.

"God, this is so tiresome" said Reno, turning on his heels and exiting the room.

"Stay here, we'll be back when we know something," said Rude, following Reno out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Cloud sat back down on the empty bed and studied the floor. He was concerned for Tifa. She was usually much stronger than this. He had seen her shake off attacks that would have put him on his back for days. And he didn't believe her answer about her dream either. Something was working at her. He could feel it. He was also not a little ashamed and embarrassed that she discovered his reason for staying away for so long.

Geostigma. Now that his thoughts returned to his own ailment, his arm began throbbing again with that familiar pain. He grimaced and rubbed his arm unconsciously. Tifa watched as he did so and felt her own pain receding, being replaced with concern for Cloud.

Geostigma was a mysterious ailment that had afflicted many of the survivors of Meteor. Denzel, the 10 year old boy Tifa had taken in, was suffering from it. She had not known that Cloud was also afflicted but now she was kicking herself for not realizing it earlier. Of course, he would want to slink away in shame. Any show of vulnerability was an anathema to him, and she knew it.

The disease was progressive and debilitating. She had seen many of the children of the city waste away to nothing. The afflicted were herded into ghettos, treated like leapers and shunned by the healthy population. Even very young children were turned out of their homes and left in the dark, diseased sections of town. They cared for each other as best they could and some of them found their way to the 7th Heaven bar and to Tifa. She did what she could for them, feeding them and patching them up, until her regular customers no longer frequented the establishment, afraid as they were that they would be infected. Over time, her kindness had been repaid by near bankruptcy. She would loose the bar soon. Her only source of income now was the gil Cloud made from his delivery business. When he left, she comforted herself with the knowledge that he was sending gil back to her at least.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Conception

"Does it hurt a lot?" she asked, kneeling before Cloud and reaching up to touch his arm.

He instinctively pulled back from her touch, not wanting to infect her even though he knew the condition was not contagious. He was ashamed. He looked at her and was struck again by her deep auburn eyes and pale sable colored skin. He could feel her eyes bore into him, seeing through the walls he had thrown up to hide his vulnerabilities. Dammit why did she always see through him so easily?

He smiled wanly and said "I could never hide anything from you, could I?"

"I know what you're thinking. You stay away because you're ashamed, because you don't want anyone to see you as anything but strong and invulnerable, but you can't live alone for the rest of your life." She shifted at his feet so that she could look straight into his face. She wasn't going to let him run away this time.

"But you keep your phone don't you?" she said, reaching around him into his back pocket where she found his cell phone. "You never answer it so why do you keep it?"

He could feel her sweet breath on his cheek as she leaned forward to retrieve his phone. Her thick silky hair fell across his shoulder and brushed against the side of his face as she moved out of his reach. At that moment, his heart missed a beat and he could feel his face flush with . . . . what? What was his body telling him? He had felt pangs like this around Tifa before but only fleetingly and always at an inopportune moment. In the past, he just pushed them back down and buried them. But this time . . . this time . . .

He reached out to take the phone from her but she threw it across the room and stood up, looking down at him.

"Do you think are you protecting me from this disease by staying away? Well your not. Your just hurting me, hurting Marlene, and everyone else who loves . . . you."

At this, Cloud looked up at Tifa. He searched her face for something . . what?

Love. That word.

Tifa's face was a mixture of anger, sadness and something else. What was it? He recognized it suddenly as the last thing he saw in Aeris's face before she died.

He was transported back to that day he laid Aeris to rest in the pool. He held her lifeless body in his arms, willing it to life again. His throat ached as he remembered the guilt he felt. He had done nothing to help her. He watched her die and did nothing.

Tifa knew what she was seeing as she watched the play of emotions cross Cloud's face. Again she was relegated to second place. She groaned and threw her head back in exasperation.

"I am here. I am with you now. She is gone and she can't help you. I loved her too. I was just as much to blame for her death. You must let it go, Cloud, because if you don't, you will spend the rest of your sad life wandering the land looking for a way to die."

She spat the last words out in anger and immediately regretted their tone. She sighed in disgust, more at herself than at Cloud, and turned way from him towards the window where the rest of her clothes lay.

She was stopped short in mid-stride and turned to see what was preventing her from moving. She stood in shock as she realized it was Cloud's hand, grasping her wrist that kept her from moving away from him.

Cloud stood and pulled her back to him. He held on to her wrist like a drowning man desperate for rescue.

"Tifa, don't leave . . don't go," he said in a small soft voice. He could not look her in the eyes. He knew if he did, he would loose it.

Tifa gasped silently. This was what she had been waiting for. Her heart leaped in her chest as he pulled her to him. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her face and his touch burned into the flesh of her wrist. She raised her hands to his face and turned it towards her so that she could look into his azure blue eyes.

"I never have left you. I have always been with you, no matter how far you run from me. Don't you know that?"

"Tifa. . . " He breathed her name and pulled her closer to him. He could feel her warm body against him as he slipped his arms around her waist and down her lower back. Her thin shirt glowed warm under his hands. She wrapped her arms around his neck and grimaced with pain as he pressed her wounded ribs against him.

He felt her wince and was immediately reminded that she was still recovering from her wounds. He loosened his hold on her and gently kissed her forehead. He slid his hand from her back to around her side and gently placed it over the welt left there by Loz.

Tifa looked up at him and saw the concern in his face.

"I'm ok," she answered to his unasked question, feeling the warmth of his hand seep into her side, easing the pain she felt.

Cloud was lost. All his defenses crumbled at her feet. All he wanted now was Tifa. She filled his mind and his senses, pushing out any thoughts of Aeris. He held her face in his hands and gently pressed his lips to hers, lingering there to savor the moment.

And he took her . . .

Much later, as he lay there in her arms, he wondered what the light was. The light that he caught sight of just as they completed their passion play. Where did it come from? Did he imagine it? He must have. He looked into her face and saw that her eyes were closed and her breathing had returned to normal. Her face relaxed into a repose that belied the passion of a few moments ago. She looked like a sleeping child. Innocent of everything around her except the man in her arms. She opened her eyes and looked at him with an expression of pure love. At that moment, he knew that he had finally found home. All of the doubt and guilt of the months past faded and he finally felt at peace.

"Tifa . . I love you. I think I know now that I always have."

His words cut through her to her very soul. These were the words she had waited to hear all of her life and from the man she loved so very much for so very long from so very far away. The fullness of the emotions locked so deep away inside her could finally be expressed. She did not fear any more that they would drive her mad or drive him away.

"I love you. I always have loved you. Whatever happens now doesn't matter because I know now that you love me too," she whispered, tears streaming now down her face.

"Why do you cry, then?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

She lay in his arms, thinking of an answer to his question. She didn't know why. She supposed they were tears of joy, but there was something else going on here. It felt like something had started inside her. Something she could feel but not express.

"They are tears of joy," is all she could muster.

He smiled and held her close, seeking the fading warmth of her body. He pulled a sheet over them both and wrapped her up in his arms with her back to him.

And they fell into a deep sleep like this. Cloud's body encircling Tifa's in a protective embrace.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - The Dream 

As Cloud drifted into a deep sleep, he began to dream. In his dream, he saw Sephiroth's evil grin and those weird pale eyes. He was saying something to Cloud but he didn't understand the words. His tone was mocking and it made Cloud angry. He tried to lash out at Sephiroth but could not lift his sword. His feet felt very heavy and he couldn't move fast enough to keep up with Sephiroth who was walking backwards away from him. He stumbled after his enemy into a large, dark room with a blinding white light that shone down on a naked, prone figure lying on a table. Transfixed, he approached the table. Who was this person? As he approached he realized the body was a female and that she was heavily pregnant. She was strapped down to the table so she could not move. Sephiroth appeared behind the woman, still talking in his unintelligible language. Cloud stood at the foot of the table, not able to make out the woman's face. Suddenly he heard Sephiroth's voice inside his head.

"Do you know her? You know her. You can have her back when I am done with her. I just want the child."

Then her heard Tifa's voice screaming his name, "Cloud!"

Cloud woke with a start to find Tifa in a deep sleep. He was confused at first. What had wakened him? He looked around but saw nothing but the darkened room. He could hear Tifa's steady breathing and feel the rise and fall of her chest against him. He was bothered by the remnants of his dream but as it faded from his memory he smiled and lay his head back on the pillow next to hers and pulled her closer. As he did, he noticed a faint red glow through the thin sheet covering them. It was coming from somewhere in front of Tifa.

Curious, he leaned up on one elbow and gently moved Tifa on to her back, careful not to wake her. There, on her stomach, was the light. It was soft, glowing, and slightly pulsating.

"What the hell?" he whispered to himself, a feeling of dread stealing over him.

He slowly pushed the sheet aside, exposing Tifa's sleeping body. As the cold night air hit Tifa's skin, she shifted and murmured something in her sleep. He looked quickly at her face and saw that she was dreaming. Her fists clenched and unclenched and her face was contorted with a pain he did not understand. He glanced back down her body to the light and realized that it was coming from _inside_ her.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Jenova's Child 

His dream came back to him with full force. What had he done? Oh God, what had he done to Tifa? Was she pregnant with his child? Was that the light he saw when he climaxed? What did his dream mean? Why would Sephiroth want his child?

Then he realized why . . . he was infected with more than just Geostigma. He also carried Jenova's genes and he had just passed those genes on to his baby and in doing so had put Tifa in terrible danger.

But Sephiroth is dead. He knew it because he had killed him. He watched that fuck die in front of him. He relaxed a bit. His dream was nothing but a nightmare.

But Tifa. He looked at her face again and saw that she was still in the grips of her own nightmare. Her face and body now contorted with some battle he could not help her win. Her breathing had become labored and quick. Her breasts rose and fell and her fists clenched into tight balls at her side.

"Tifa . . . Tifa wake up," he called to her softly. He kissed her cheek and whispered into her ear.

"Tifa, wake up," he shook her shoulders gently.

Tifa heard Cloud calling her name from deep in her dream. She turned towards his voice. It calmed her and gave her a direction out of her nightmare. She surfaced slowly, feeling the warmth of his body pressed against her. She opened her eyes with a start to see him looking at her with a concerned expression on her face.

She gasped as she came fully out of her dream state and sat bolt upright in bed. Her head swam as the blood drained from it and she fell back into Cloud's arms.

"It's ok. Lay still for a bit" he whispered to her.

"I had a bad dream" she murmured.

"So did I," he said.

She turned to look at him and they both burst into laughter.

"Bad dreams after great sex. Hmm, I wonder what that means," he said.

"What's this?" Tifa had become aware of the soft red glow in the room.

Cloud looked down at her and saw what she was referring to.

"I think . . . " his voice trailed off. He didn't know what to say.

She looked down at her own body, exposed to the night, and ran her hand over her belly. The glowing light faded under her hand as she passed it over the source.

"What does this mean, Cloud?" her voice trembled as she asked the question. He could hear the confusion and fear in her voice.

"Its ok, Tifa. Whatever it means, I will be here for you and we will go through it together. I will never let anything hurt you or our child."

"What?"

"I'm sorry Tifa. It seems everything I touch, everyone I love, ends up getting hurt."

She could hear the pain and anguish in his voice and her heart broke to hear it. She turned towards him and snuggled closer, her head nestled into the base of his neck.

She was pregnant. With Cloud's baby, she was pregnant. The realization sunk in and it made her feel warm.

"I am finally with the man I have loved all my life and wake to find myself carrying his child." She looked up at his face and smiled.

"What's there to be sorry about?" she whispered.

Cloud smiled back at her and brushed her hair away from her face. He kissed her gently on the lips and held her closer to him, keeping her warm. He pulled the sheet back over their bodies.

They drifted off into a gentle, dreamless sleep.

Several hours later, Cloud was awoken again, this time by footfalls on the stairs outside their room. Cloud sat up and retrieved his pants and shirt from the floor and was fully dressed by the time Reno and Rude walked through the door.

They stood in the doorway silhouetted by the light in the hall. Cloud stood next to the bed where a sleeping Tifa lay.

Reno cocked his head to one side to see the prone body that lay in the bed behind Cloud with a smirk on his face.

"Busy?" he asked with that infuriating tone in his voice.

Rude looked over at his buddy with a pained expression on his face.

Cloud was glad of the dark in the room. He did not want Reno and Rude to see him blush. He moved in front of Tifa, blocking Reno's view.

"What did you find?"

At the sound of Cloud's voice, Tifa stirred again and sat up in bed. The sheet fell from her body as she sat, exposing her breasts. Cloud heard her move and glanced behind him. She realized they were not alone in the room and quickly covered herself again as she swung her feet over the far edge of the bed. She pulled her top and g-string back on, not caring that the two by the door were getting a free show.

"Man, what a nice ass," drawled Reno, his smirk getting wider as he caught sight of Tifa.

"Shut up, you fuck," snarled Cloud stepping towards him.

"Take it easy," said Rude trying to defuse the situation. "We have some news for you."

"Did you find Marlene?" Tifa asked, pulling on her skirt. She really didn't care if they saw her now. She had to know what happened to Marlene.

Rude and Reno glanced at each other as Tifa turned to them. They had seen the glow.

"There were witnesses who saw Kadj's gang rounding up all the children from the ghetto. You know, the infected ones." Reno said this with a note of disgust that rankled Cloud and Tifa.

"Where did they take them?"

"To the Forgotten Capital. Its their hide out," Rude replied.

"We have to get them back Cloud. They have Marlene as well," said Tifa moving towards the chair to retrieve her shoes and leather shirt.

"Wait downstairs," Cloud growled at Reno and Rude.

"Hmm, don't be too long kiddies," Reno chuckled. He and Rude turned and walked back down the stairs.

Cloud closed the door and caught Tifa as she rushed past him.

"I want you to wait here. Wait here with them. They will protect you," he said.

Tifa stopped in her tracks. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could she wait here while Marlene was in the hands of those bastards?

"What? Why?"

"Tifa, I don't want you to come with me. I can't do this unless I know you are safe and far away from Kadj," he said, holding on to her arm so she couldn't move away from him.

"Come sit down here. I need to talk with you."

"We don't have time to talk now Cloud. They have Marlene," Tifa's voice trembled as she spoke. She didn't understand what Cloud was saying to her. She had never stayed behind when there was a fight and this fight was too important to miss.

Cloud pulled Tifa back to the bed and sat her down next to him.

"Listen to me. I know why you belly is glowing." He ran his hand over her stomach.

"Why? I don't understand, Cloud," Tifa was getting nervous at Cloud's tone and expression. She looked at him and saw fear there for the first time.

"What is it, my love?" Tifa asked.

"Tifa, you know that I carry Jenova's genes." He spoke softly and slowly as he held her hand.

She looked into his face and said nothing. Tears welled up in her eyes as the realization hit her. Their baby was infected with Jenova's genes. He didn't have to finish his sentence. She knew what he was going to say.

He watched her as the realization of what he had just said spread across her face. He saw her shoulders slump and tears fall down her cheek. This is how Sephiroth was created. His Mother was given a draught containing Jenova's genes and was raped. The child she bore became a monster that almost ended life on her planet.

Suddenly the dream she had came back to her with a rush. She was in labor, strapped to a cold metal table, unable to move. The memory of it made her shudder.

Cloud also remembered his dream. He heard Sephiroth's words again in his mind.

"_You can have her back when I am done with her. I just want the child."_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - Promises and Threats 

"I don't want Kadj or his gang to know about this. If they see you, they'll know. They will try to take our baby, Tifa. We can't let that happen," said Cloud.

As he said this, Tifa remembered Loz's question. _"Where is Mother?"_

She knew in her heart that he was right. She would have to stay hidden away while Cloud went out alone into the night to find Marlene and the other children.

She threw back her head and let out a strangled cry. She was afraid if Cloud walked out the door, she would never see him again.

He knew what she was thinking.

"Don't worry my love. I promised that I would be around to help you through this. You are carrying my child. I want to see it born healthy. And I want to make love with its Mother again . . . soon," he whispered to her with a smile.

She hung her head and nodded slightly. Cloud let out a small sigh of relief. He gathered her up in his arms again and kissed her passionately. She held on to him tight, not wanting to let him go.

"I will be back before dawn, with Marlene. I promise."

Cloud stood and pulled Tifa to him for one last embrace. He kissed her gently and then bent down and kissed her belly. "Stay safe, both of you," he smiled at her and walked out of the room, shutting the door softly behind him

Tifa slumped down on the bed sobbing.

Cloud walked into the kitchen to find Rude and Reno. Rude was standing by the coffee machine pouring himself another cup while Reno was slouched on a chair, his feet up on the table.

"Want some?" asked Rude over his shoulder to Cloud.

"You two stay here and look after Tifa. If anything happens to her or if she comes to any harm while in your care, I will kill you both," growled Cloud.

"Whoa, buddy!" Reno sat up and put his feet on the floor. He didn't like being told what to do, especially by some spikey haired kid with a big sword and a bigger ego.

"We are _not_ your babysitters. Anyway, that bitch can take care of herself. I've seen it," he said, rubbing his chin again.

Cloud looked down at Reno with a smirk. "I bet you have. Just the same, stay here with her."

Rude put down his coffee and turned to face Cloud. "What happened? Did you knock her up?"

Cloud's eyes glowed with rage at Rude's words. He didn't feel like explaining himself to these two jerks and if Reno didn't wipe that sardonic smile off his face, he would do it for him.

He pulled out his sword and pointed it at Rude's chest. He moved so quickly that Rude didn't have time to react before he found a blade at his throat.

"Remember what I said."

"Ok, so what are we protecting her from?" asked Rude, backing away from Cloud's blade.

"Kadj, any of his crew, anyone that may come looking for her."

"And why would anyone come looking for her, then?" said Reno, standing slowly to his feet. He wasn't smiling anymore.

Cloud sheathed his sword and paused before he answered.

"You know why. Just look after her."

Cloud walked out the back door into the night, past a stunned Rude and a blustering Reno.

The Forgotten Capital. Cloud knew it well. It was where he laid Aeris's body to rest, in the pool near the Lifestream source. This time, for the first time, when his mind transported him back to that event he didn't feel the guilt that always accompanied the memory. He found that he could see Aeris's face in his mind and not feel the gaping hole in his soul any more. It had been filled. By the woman in the room upstairs. He glanced up at the bedroom window where he knew Tifa was and saw the outline of her body standing in the window looking down at him. He smiled up at her and saw her place her hand on the glass separating them.

He found Fenrir outside the bar and mounted the bike. The familiar dull throb in his arm returned, causing him to wince in pain. He shook it off and kicked the bike into life and roared out onto the dark street.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - The Preparation 

Kadj knew Cloud was coming for him. For the children. It was just what he wanted. Things were falling into place despite Loz jumping the gun in the church.

"_That idiot!"_ he said to himself, as he looked over at his brother. Loz was standing over the opened chest he had brought back from the church smiling down at its contents. The thing was full of materia.

"Let me go!" whined the girl, squirming under Loz's grasp.

"Oh shut up, you little whelp," growled Yazoo.

"Hey, leave the kid alone" said Loz. He immediately regretted saying it when he caught sight of the smirk on his brother's face.

"Your getting soft Loz," replied Yazoo with a chuckle. "Don't cry."

"I'm not crying," Loz growled back at him.

Kadj walked over to his two brothers and picked up one of the materia balls. It glowed softly in his hand. He could feel its heat through his gloved hand as it pulsated in his palm.

"He's coming." Kadj turned to address Loz. "You know what to do? Yazoo and I will keep him busy while you get the girl."

"This time, don't fuck it up. We need her alive and unharmed. Remember, she is carrying precious cargo."

Loz chuckled at that. "I want to see his face when he realizes we have her and his child."

"It's not his child!" snapped Kadj. Loz looked quickly at his brother's face. He could be dangerous when provoked.

"All the same, I wish I could see his face when he realizes what he has done," replied Loz.

"We'll take pictures, now get going!" snapped Yazoo. "He'll be here soon."

Loz pushed Marlene back on her rump and she fell with a yelp to the ground.

"If you know what's good for you, you will stay here and be quiet. Your friend will be here soon," Loz said over his shoulder as he walked towards his bike.

He started the engine and disappeared into the black night.

"We have to prepare the others," Kadj said quietly to Yazoo.

He looked down at the ball of materia still in his hand. He extended his free arm and pushed the materia into his bicep. His arm took on the ball's glow as he felt a rush of power pulse through his body. He chuckled at Yazoo as he watched his brother do the same. Now they were ready for Cloud.

Kadj turned to face the children standing on the opposite side of the pool and threw his arms into the air above his head and addressed the group.

"I was gifted with a unique strength from Mother," Kadj's voice boomed across the glade. Strength to fight against this planet. This planet that torments human beings with a disease. Geostigma!"

As he said the word, the children turned to look at him. His form was glowing silver white and his voice reverberated around the small glade in which they now stood.

"You all know what that is, don't you? I'll tell you a secret, shall I?" he paused, watching the effect his words were having on the children. "Every one of you has this strength because we are all brothers and sisters. We were all chosen for this gift because we have inherited Mother's genetic imprint from the Lifesteam."

Kadj could feel the children focus on his words and became bolder. They were so easy to manipulate!

"But this planet is trying to stop us. Trying to stop our growth and prevent our joining with our Mother. That is why your body is in pain and your heart is heavy. But I can cure it and we can join our Mother and fight this planet!"

He walked to the edge of the pool and stopped. He looked up at the children to gauge their reaction. They were ready.

"Follow me," he growled as he walked into the pool up to his waist. The clear water swirling around him, becoming stained with something dark that spread through the rest of the pool. He cupped his hands and dipped them into the water. Bringing his hands up to his mouth, he drank deeply.

The children watched as this strange man drank the inky waters around him. They so wanted to believe he could cure the pain they felt, the loneliness and the abandonment. They wanted and needed a family to belong to. Could he really take them to their Mother?

Denzel watched Kadj intently. He was transfixed on the man, on his words. All thoughts of Tifa were swept away when he saw Kadj drink from the pool of water. He took a few tentative steps towards the edge of the pool, took a deep breath and waded in up to his waist. As he did, he was aware of some of the other children following him into the water.

"Denzel!" Marlene saw her friend standing in the pool and understood what was happening. She too had felt the pull of Kadj's words, but as she had a family that loved her and no Geostigma, she knew this was not for her.

"Denzel, don't!" she cried.

Denzel didn't hear Marlene. He caught some of the pool water in his hands and raised them to his lips. He paused for a second when Tifa's face flashed in front of his eyes, but then she was gone, leaving only the emptiness. He drank the water in, letting it slip down his throat. The genetic code contained in the Lifestream waters had found its mark. It entwined itself around his psyche, stripping him of all sense of who he was and leaving him an empty vessel. He looked up at Kadj with strangely changed eyes.

Kadj smiled. It was done.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - Aeris's Blessing 

Cloud rode on through the night. His mind was full of Tifa and their time together in the room above the bar. He could still smell her on his clothes where she had laid her head on his chest, even as the wind rushed past him. The scent brought back the feel of her under him and his body responded to the memory, causing him to shift in his seat. Her voice whispered gently in his mind.

"So you are ok now?"

Cloud heard the words in his mind. At first he thought it was Tifa's voice he heard, but then he realized it was someone else . . .

"Aeris?"

The wind stopped howling past his face and Fenrir disappeared from beneath him. He stood now in a field of flowers, their scent rising to meet him. He stood still, listening for the voice again.

"So you are ok now?" Her voice sounded like a thousand tiny wind chimes blowing in the breeze.

"I think so . . . yes," he said quietly to the emptiness around him.

"Good. I have other children to worry about without having to worry about you," Aeris whispered softly.

"Aeris, I need to say . . .," Cloud stammered. He didn't really know what he needed to say.

"What?" He could feel her smiling at his embarrassment.

"I need to say that I am sorry. I'm sorry that I let you die." Cloud sighed. He had finally said it. It was off his chest and he felt 100lbs lighter.

He heard her laughter. It sounded like a waterfall tumbling down grass covered rocks.

"You didn't let me die, silly boy. That was my choice. Remember, Cloud, I am one of the Ancients. I belong here"

Cloud stood there, listening to her words. Her voice changed to something darker.

"Tifa needs you now. She will be lost to you for a while and she will have to endure much pain before this is over. You will need all your strength Cloud. Stength for Tifa, for the planet."

"Why?" Cloud's mind became full of foreboding. What was she saying?

"Because Tifa is the mother Kadj is looking for!"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - Loz's Redemption 

Loz cut the engine of his bike as he approached the bar. He didn't feel like announcing his arrival. He had already fought Tifa once and he knew what she was capable of. He coasted up to the rear of the bar and stood the bike up on its stand. He cracked his knuckles and dismounted.

Inside the bar, down in the kitchen, Rude and Reno sat playing cards. They had not heard much from the room upstairs since Cloud had left. Just some muffled steps and the creak of a bed. That was some time ago and they assumed she was asleep.

Reno yawned and stretched. He wished he was asleep. He glanced up and the ceiling where he imagined the sleeping Tifa lay. He wished he was asleep with that! Well . . maybe not asleep . . .

"Its your turn," said Rude, looking at his friend.

"I'm bored with this game."

"That's just because you're losing. Again," chuckled Rude. He threw the cards down and pushed away from the table.

He stood to his full 6'6" height and stretched just as Loz burst in through the door. Rude was down on the floor with what felt like a gaping hole in his side before he knew what happened. Reno jumped up, grabbed his stick and swung at Loz, but he was no match for the materia enhanced wild man standing over his partner. Loz swung his arm around and aimed his punch-weapon at Reno's head. Reno ducked just in time and heard the wall behind him shatter.

The explosion of the back door woke Tifa from a light sleep. She had lain back down on the bed fully dressed after Cloud left, not intending to go back to sleep, but the night and her condition got the better of her. Her heart missed a beat as she realized what was happening below her.

"_They're here. They've come for me_," she thought. She was at a loss for a second as to what she should do until she heard a scream from one of the men downstairs. The sound propelled her to action. She grabbed her gloves and ran out of the room.

Loz missed Reno with his first punch and paid for it with a kick received to his knee. He swatted away Reno's foot and rounded on him before Reno had a chance to regain his balance. Loz grabbed the slighter man by the throat and lifted him off his feet. Reno felt his airway constrict and his field of vision narrowed to a small black hole. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was a streak of dark brown hair.

Tifa ran into the room and took in the scene in a split second. Rude was on the floor moaning and holding his side. Reno was squirming under the clutch of a man who's back was towards her, his feet flailing off the ground. She launched herself at the man throttling Reno and planted a flurry of well placed punches in the small of his back.

Loz dropped Reno and spun around to face Tifa.

"You!" Tifa screamed.

Tifa's surprise at seeing her attacker from the church stopped her dead in her tracks long enough for Loz to bring his arm up and aim at her.

"_This time don't fuck it up. We need her alive and unharmed. She carries precious cargo_."

Kadj's words flashed across his mind and Loz lowered his weapon. As he did, he saw the faint red glow peeking above the waist band of Tifa's skirt. She saw where his gaze rested and covered her stomach with her hand.

Loz stood up from his defensive stance and chuckled softly.

"So, its true then. Well at least we know he can get it up," he snarled at her.

His words caught her off guard and left her flat footed. That was the opening Loz needed. He flicked his thumb over a switch on his weapon and fired it at Tifa's legs, knocking her to the ground.

Tifa screamed and crumpled to the floor, the pain in her legs unbearable. Loz walked slowly to her and bent over to grab the front of her shirt. He was about to hoist the girl onto his shoulder when he felt a blinding pain on the back of his legs. He fell on his back as his legs were swept out from under him.

Rude had recovered his wind enough to stand and sweep Loz with his nightstick. Physically, he was a match for Loz, but he recognized the crazed glow in the other man's eyes that meant he had enhanced himself with materia. This gave him a dangerous advantage over them all.

"Go," Rude screamed at Tifa.

Tifa was pinned beneath Loz. She tried to kick her way free but the damage done to her legs made her attempts feeble and ineffective. She turned on all fours and crawled out from under him. She tried to stand but her legs just would not hold her and she slumped back down to the floor.

Behind her, Rude aimed a kick at Loz's head but it was caught just before it engaged its target and Rude flew through the air as Loz twisted his foot from under him. He crashed down onto the table, shattering it into tiny pieces.

Loz sprang back to his feet and with two quick strides reached Tifa again. She screamed a name just before he brought his unarmed hand down on the side of her head in a backhanded slap.

"Cloud!"

The slap knocked her senseless and she screamed no more.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Cloud's Error 

Aeris's last words reverberated around Cloud's head as he felt the full force of the wind back in his face and Fenrir under him. He was back on the dark road leading to the Forgotten Capital.

His heart was full of fear for Tifa and their unborn child. He didn't want her to have to endure any more pain. She had had enough of that. He had really felt for a while back in the bedroom that they were past all that. He wished with all of his soul that he could be back in Tifa's arms again, holding her close and watching her sleep.

But no, he was hurtling towards an enemy who wanted to take his child and do God knows what with it.

"_Tifa needs you now_."

He heard Aeris's words again in his mind and knew what he had to do. He had made Tifa a promise that he intended to keep this time.

He refocused on the road ahead, leaned over Fenrir and pushed it faster towards his destination. He saw Kadj and Yazoo standing at the end of the road. He flicked a switch on the bike's faring that opened the sword compartments. He withdrew a sword in each hand and pushed on.

Kadj was waiting for him. He heard him before he saw him. There he was speeding towards his doom. Kadj chuckled softly to himself and motioned to children to stand between the approaching Cloud and himself.

"Remember, this is your birth right," he growled at the children around him. "We are all brothers and sisters here."

Cloud saw the children at the last moment and put the bike down in a skid to avoid hitting them. He hit the ground as the bike flew out from under him and rolled several feet before he landed in front of Kadj. Cloud's swords flew from his hand and lay just out of his reach.

The fall from the bike knocked the wind out of him and he was stunned for a moment. He gasped and tried to stand up.

Kadj laughed at the sight of his nemesis lying breathless at his feet. He pulled his sword out of its scabbard and circled the man.

"Cloud, you were expected. I am glad you're here," he snarled.

Kadj circled around Cloud and spoke in a booming voice that filled the children's minds.

"This man is our brother, but he comes here not to help us. He is a traitor and he must die!" With this, Kadj pulled back his sword arm ready to strike.

"Cloud!" Marlene's voice shook Cloud from his stupor. She ran to the sword lying just out of Cloud's reach and threw it closer to him with all her might. By some miracle she was able to throw it far enough to reach him.

Cloud shook the pain of his fall away, reached for his sword, jumped to his feet, and swept his sword at Kadj's legs. Kadj jumped out of reach, landing a few feet away.

Bullets rained down on Cloud as he deflected them with his sword. He swung away under the barrage of bullets and retrieved his other weapon, a partner to his main sword.

Yazoo growled a guttural cry and launched himself at Cloud, bullets flying before him. Cloud leapt from their path. He had to get away from the children. He had to draw Kadj and Yazoo away from this place.

Yazoo launched himself at Cloud, bringing his weapon down towards his head. Cloud side stepped easily and parried with his sword. The blow should have connected with Yazoo's head but it seemed to slice through thin air and all he was left with was laughter as Yazoo moved with the speed of light.

The battle raged for what seemed like an eternity. Kadj and Yazoo taking turns sometimes, other times pairing up to harass Cloud. Cloud jumped high up into the sky to escape the rain of bullets and flailing swords only to be followed by the two brothers.

"_They are playing with me_," he thought. "_Keeping me at arms length_."

As if Kadj and Yazoo could read his mind, they both converged on him, shooting and slashing until he fell from the sky in exhaustion.

Kadj landed softly on the ground near Cloud. A look of triumph spread over his face. He ran at Cloud, ready to deliver the final blow, when out of the corner of his eye he saw a blood red cape streak through the sky and cover Cloud.

Yazoo saw it too. He had seen it before. He snarled and fired his weapon at the swirling form covering the man lying on the ground. None of his bullets could penetrate. He felt bullets whizzing past his head and realized that the form under the cape was shooting back! Kadj swore as he deflected each shot.

The red swirl picked Cloud up and disappeared into the trees above them.

"Dammit!" snarled Yazoo. "That fucking asshole."

"Let him go. Loz has what we need by now," Kadj smiled at his brother. Their plan worked.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 - Brothers 

Vincent dropped Cloud down on the ground and stood over him as he recovered his senses.

"Who are they, Vincent?"

"Kadj and his brothers. I've been watching them for a while now."

"Brothers? But there were only two . . ."

"That was Kadj and Yazoo. There is a third, Loz. He was the one that attacked Tifa in the church."

Cloud looked quickly at his friend. "You know about that? What the hell do they want?"

"They are looking for something, I'm not sure what," he replied.

"Tifa said he was looking for his Mother," Cloud said softly, remembering Aeris's words.

"_Tifa is the mother Kadj is looking for_."

Cloud sat up and winced as the pain in his arm returned. Vincent saw his friend's pain and walked over to him. He kneeled down next to Cloud and gripped his arm.

"Geostigma is caused by an excessive functioning of the system that eliminates foreign substances in the body. There is also a stream in the body like the Lifestream. Basically, your body is reacting to the pollution of your own Lifestream. Jenova!"

"Jenova . . ." as he said the word his thoughts flashed back to Tifa and the child they made together.

"Sephiroth's remains. It lives within the Lifestream in the form of Jenova genetics. You know this,' said Vincent quietly, watching his friends face.

"Kadj. What is he?"

"I don't even want to think about it," replied Vincent.

Cloud rubbed his arm and thought about what he just heard.

"Loz . . . you said there are three of them?" Cloud said quickly. He stood and faced Vincent.

"Yes, three."

"But there were only two . . . . " Cloud murmured to himself. "Where was the third?"

"Where is Tifa, Cloud?" Vincent asked.

"No . . . NO!" screamed Cloud. He pushed the swords into the holster on his back and strode towards Fenrir. Before he reached the bike, they heard a rustling in the bushes behind them.

Marlene rushed out of the bushes and into Cloud's arms.

"Cloud . . . Denzel is . . . Tifa . . ." she cried.

"I am going back to the bar now Marlene. You're coming with me." He grabbed the girls hand and led her over to Fenrir.

"Vincent keep and eye on the other two. I think I know where Loz is and what they are looking for."

"Cloud, what is it?"

Cloud put Marlene on the back of the bike and mounted himself. He paused before he fired up the engine.

"Tifa. They want Tifa . . . because of what she is carrying."

"What is she carrying, Cloud," Vincent didn't think he wanted to hear the answer.

Cloud kicked the bike into life. He looked at his friend and said nothing. He didn't need to. It was all over his face. He turned the bike around and roared off into the night with Marlene hanging on for dear life.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 - Explanations 

All Cloud could think of during the trip back to the bar was how stupid he had been. He fell right into their trap.

"Dammit!" he snapped.

"What?" said Marlene behind him. She was scared. She had never seen Cloud like this and he was driving very, very fast.

Cloud remembered the child hanging on to him on the back of his bike and slowed down a little. "Its ok, Marlene. We'll be home soon."

"Tifa, please be there," he murmured to himself.

He pulled up to the bar and shut the bike off. Marlene had scrambled down off the bike and was almost inside the bar before he caught up to her.

"Marlene, wait here!" he barked at her.

She stopped in her tracks. She had never heard Cloud speak to her like that before and she knew immediately that he meant business.

"Go wait by the bike and don't come in until I come out to get you," Cloud said to her rushing past her into the building.

He stopped by the back door and listened. He couldn't hear anything, so he pushed on the door and it swung open.

"Shit," he breathed. The door looked like it had been smashed in.

He stepped into the kitchen and took in the sight. Rude lay groaning on top of what was left of the table and Reno was slumped in the corner of the room, out cold. Cloud strode through the small room towards the stairs in the rear of the bar. He almost tripped on something lying on the floor. He stopped and bent down to pick it up. It was one of Tifa's gloves.

"Tifa," he breathed her name, hoping she would answer.

He pushed the glove into his back pocket and raced up the stairs. He threw open the bedroom door and turned on the light. He stood there for what seemed like an eternity, looking at the bed they shared just hours before. He could still see the impressions of her body. He walked over to the bed and picked up the pillow. It was warm and still had her scent.

He buried his face in the pillow, taking comfort from its warmth. He swallowed a sob and threw back his head to scream at the night.

"Tifa!"

"Cloud . . ." Marlene's tiny voice called him back.

"I told you to wait outside, Marlene." His words came out much more gruff than he had intended.

"Cloud . . . what happened? Where's Tifa?" Her plaintive whimper made his heart ache. He sighed and dropped the pillow on the bed. He sat down next to it and called the tiny girl over to him.

She approached slowly, wary of this new and strange mood in her friend.

"Its ok, come over here," he said softly to her.

Marlene burst into tears and buried her head in Cloud's chest. He pulled her on to his lap and held her sobbing body close, rocking her back and forth. "Its ok, everything will be fine Marlene."

"Who . . who . . who are those men downstairs," she whispered through her tears.

"They are friends of ours. I asked them to stay here and look after Tifa." As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them.

Marlene pulled away from Cloud and looked wildly up at his face.

"Where is Tifa?" she asked, panic rising in her voice again.

Cloud stood Marlene on the floor in front of him.

"Listen to me, Marlene. I need you to be a brave girl now because I have to leave you here and go and find Tifa. A bad man has taken her and I don't know where she is right now, but I promise you, I will find her and bring her back here."

"The same man at the church? The man that took me to that place?" the child asked, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. She was trying to be brave but the man at the church had terrified her. He was a giant.

Cloud remembered that Marlene had been with Tifa the first time she met Loz and that she had just been through her own version of hell at the hands of that bastard. He sighed again and pulled her close to him, kissing the top of her head.

"Yes, I think so, honey."

"I don't like him, Cloud. He was a very bad man."

"I know, baby, but he's not coming back here. You're safe here now, ok?" He looked into her eyes to see if she understood him, believed him. He brushed the last few tears from her cheek and picked her up.

"Now, it's very late and you need to get some sleep. You've had a long day."

He pulled back the covers on the unused bed and laid her down. Taking off her soiled shoes and socks, he covered her with the blanket and knelt down next to her, brushing her hair away from her face. Would he ever be able to do this with his own child some day? He hoped with all his heart that he would.

"Will you promise me that you will stay here, at least until someone comes back for you?" he asked her softly.

She looked up at the face she loved so much. She suddenly missed her father, Barret, and thinking about him made her eyes well with tears again.

"You know your Daddy is on his way home," he said, reading her thoughts. "He should be here tomorrow and he will be very glad to see you're here waiting for him," he whispered gently to her.

He could see the girl was tired and struggling to keep her eyes open. He smiled at her and brushed her tears away again.

"Now you get some sleep. When you wake up it will be morning again."

"Will you come back home now Cloud? With Tifa?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

He looked down at her sweet face and smiled gently. "Yes, baby I will, very soon."

He kissed her lightly on her forehead, stood and walked out of the room. He turned to look at her as he closed the door. She was already asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - Cloud's Rage 

Cloud turned off the light and closed the bedroom door softly. He stood there for a moment with his hand on the door knob and rested his forehead on the doorjamb. The full weight of the day's events finally came crashing down on him. He was powerless to stop the tears that fell down his face. He banged his head quietly into the jam again and again, willing the tears to stop.

Slowly he regained his composure. Tifa was out there somewhere and she needed him now. He had made a promise to her, to himself, and he wasn't going to fail her this time. Not this time.

He pushed himself away from the door and stood up straight, brushing the tears away with the back of his hand. He took a deep, jagged breath, turned on his heels and walked towards the stairs.

Cloud walked into the kitchen to find Rude sitting on the floor, propped up against the kitchen cabinets, nursing a sore head. Reno was stirring in the other corner of the destroyed room. He stood looking at them for a few moments, clenching and unclenching his fists, struggling to keep his emotions under control. He crossed the room to the coffee machine and stood in front of it, his hands on the counter, with his back to them both.

Rude watched in silence as the man stood at the counter with his back to him and knew that his life hung in the balance. Rude may outweigh Cloud by about 100 lbs but he recognized rage when he saw it. Cloud could snap him in two without breaking a sweat, and at this point he didn't feel like giving him an excuse to do it.

"What happened here," Cloud said, his voice dark and dangerous.

Across the room Reno slowly pulled himself into an upright position and sat against the shattered wall, rubbing his throat. Rude hoped that the stranglehold Loz had on him would keep him from speaking for a while. The last thing he needed was Reno's smart mouth making matters worse.

Rude chose his words carefully. "He was enhanced. We tried to stop him but he was too fast, too strong. She tried to stop him . . ." his voice trailed off as he saw Cloud's fists clench and his back muscles strain at his last words. That probably wasn't a smart thing to say, he thought to himself.

Rude sighed and struggled to his feet. He picked up the last unbroken chair in the room and sat down on it.

"What happened to you?" Rude asked, trying to change the subject.

"They were waiting for me. They knew I would come. It was a trap . . or a diversion. I should have known they really wanted her."

Reno shifted his weight as he watched Cloud. His throat hurt and he could barely breathe but he couldn't resist a final dig. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could croak his insult he felt the sting of a piece of wood hit his head. Stunned, he looked over at his partner and immediately shut his mouth. The look on Rude's face was all he needed to know for now.

Cloud ignored the exchange between the two behind him. He had regained his composure. Lashing out at them would not get him Tifa back and he needed them to stay here with Marlene.

He turned around to face them both.

"I am going to look for her. There is a sleeping 6 year old girl upstairs. Her father is due home tomorrow. No one is looking for her. Do you think you could possibly keep her safe for a few hours, or is that too much for you too?"

Rude winced at the insult.

"Hey man, look around you. Do you really think we just gave her up?"

Cloud looked around the kitchen. His eyes landed on an unbroken cup sitting on the counter next to his hand, the same cup Reno was drinking from when Loz burst into the bar. He could feel the anger building in him again. With a guttural growl, he grabbed the cup and threw it at Reno, missing his head by inches. The cup splintered into a thousand shards and flew across the room. Reno and Rude both ducked, not wanting to be hit by anything sharp flying their way.

"Hey, what the fuck!" croaked Reno, his voice recovered.

"Don't . . . say . . . a . . . word," Cloud growled at him.

Reno shut his open mouth and sat there staring at Cloud's dark face. He had never seen him in such a state before.

Cloud slowed his breathing and relaxed his jaw and his fists.

"Tell Barret what happened here when he gets home and tell him to call me" Cloud turned his back on the two and walked back out into the growing dawn light.

"What do we charge for babysitting these days?" Reno asked his partner.

Rude just picked up another piece of wood and lofted it at Reno's head.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 - Imprisoned 

Loz rode all night into the growing dawn with Tifa thrown over the seat in front of him. She was still out cold when he reached his destination. He turned the bike off and stretched his back, wincing from the punishment Tifa's blow's had done to his ribs. He snarled at the pain and threw Tifa off the bike onto the ground where she lay now at his feet.

He looked up at the building he had pulled up to. It was an abandoned mansion that had seen better days. A sweep of marble steps led up to the grand entrance which was flanked on either side by huge windows. The building stood alone on a plateau high in the mountains with no grass or trees to be seen anywhere. It was, in fact, the only building around for miles, and would have stood out like a sore thumb but for the towering snow capped mountains surrounding them.

It was cold up here.

He dismounted his bike and picked up the girl as if she were nothing more than a bunch of twigs. As he walked with her towards the building, the front door opened and through it walked Kadj.

"Welcome back, brother," smiled Kadj. "I see your trip was successful. Did she give you much trouble?"

Loz chuckled. "Not much at all. She had a couple of babysitters though."

"I'm not surprised," said Kadj in response. "Bring her in here. We have a room ready for her. She should be comfortable, at least for now."

Loz followed Kadj through the house, downstairs to the basement. Kadj opened a door and walked into a windowless room with a single bed in the corner, a small table next to it, and a bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The room was cold and damp. In the corner of the room, near the ceiling, a camera followed their movements as Loz walked over to the bed and dumped Tifa down on to it. He stood back, looking at her lay there.

Kadj walked over to the bed and sat down next to the girl. He rolled her on to her back and gently lifted the front of her shirt to reveal her flat stomach. He gasped silently, seeing the faint pulsating glow coming from inside her, and smiled gently. He placed his hand over the light and closed his eyes to concentrate on the being growing there beneath his hand.

"Yes . . ." he said softly.

He gently unzipped her leather shirt and removed it, careful not to let her bang her head. He removed her skirt and shoes in the same way, leaving her with just her g-string and her white singlet. She started to stir, moaning softly.

Kadj stood and looked down at her. The welts left by the battles in the church and the bar were still visible on her body. He covered her gently with a thick blanket against the cold and sat back down on the bed next to her, brushing her hair away from her face.

"Mother," he whispered. "You have no idea how important you are to us."

He stood and walked back out of the room, Loz following on his heels. Tifa came too just as they left and heard the click of the lock as the door closed.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 - The Tracker 

Cloud stormed out of the bar and jumped on Fenrir. He kicked the thing viciously and felt it roar to life again. He sat there for a moment, revving the engine. Anger gave way to panic. He had no idea what to do next. He sat on the bike, his mind racing. Where was she? Was she hurt, was she ok?

"Cloud, calm yourself. Tifa needs you." He heard Aeris's soft voice in his mind and immediately felt the panic leave him. He left the bike running quietly in neutral and slumped over the handlebars.

"_Think, Cloud. Think. How do I find her_?" he said to himself. He rocked back on his seat and felt something fall out of his back pocket. He turned and looked behind him and saw Tifa's glove lying on the ground. Picking it up, he pressed it to his face, breathing in Tifa's scent.

"Red!" he said, his heart leaping for joy. "Red can find her. He can find anything!" He stuffed the glove into his shirt next to his heart and revved up the engine again. He turned the bike around and took off down the road towards the sun rising on the horizon.

He rode through the empty city streets out into the wilderness beyond. He knew where Red XIII lived, but it would take hours to get to him. Tifa was getting further and further away from him every minute. He could feel it. He forced the rising panic back down and leaned further over the bike, urging it on faster.

Two hours later he skidded Fenrir to a stop on top of a bute overlooking Cosmo Canyon. The view was beautiful with the red canyon walls glowing in the sun still low in the morning sky, but the scenery was lost on Cloud. He shaded his eyes with his hand, searching the canyon walls for the den he knew was there. He finally found it.

"Dammit!" It was all the way across the other side of the canyon. A long and dangerous drive. He searched the canyon walls for a way down and saw the path ahead of him. He revved the bike and flew off down the path.

A few miles away, Red XIII was indulging in his morning stretch when his ears picked up the unmistakable roar of an engine reverberate off the canyon walls above him. He had not had a good night. Something had kept him awake. A heavy feeling of foreboding had troubled his mind all night, stealing sleep away. He padded out to the entrance of his den overlooking the canyon and sniffed the air. He recognized the scent and sighed. This had to mean trouble.

His keen eyes searched in the direction of the sound and the scent and saw a speck hurtling down the canyon walls towards him, leaving a trail of dust behind.

"That idiot! He's going to kill himself," he growled, bounding off in Cloud's direction.

Cloud saw a streak of red fur out of the corner of his eye and pulled the bike up short, gravel spitting out from under the rear wheel. When the dust cleared, he realized he was just inches from the edge of the path with a shear drop of 300' below him.

Red jumped down from the rock above Cloud and landed softly in front of the bike. He stood there looking at the man, shaking his head. The animal was covered from head to long tail with blazing red fur with the tip of his tail glowing with fire. Around his neck he wore a mantle made of feathers, spiked thorns and beads. It rattled when he moved, which he did with a lithe grace common to his kind. His long sharp claws were retracted now, but Cloud knew they could be deadly weapons when he needed them.

"One of these days . . ." he growled.

Despite his desperation to find Tifa, Cloud had to smile at his friend. Ever the paternal, was Red.

"I need your help, Red. They have taken Tifa . . ." he said, his words trailing off.

"When is the last time you slept or ate anything, Cloud?" asked Red, cocking his head to one side as he measured Cloud's condition. It was obvious the man had been riding all night and he looked exhausted.

Cloud was nonplussed by the question. He had not thought of sleep or food since he found Tifa in the church. He suddenly realized how tired, hungry and thirsty he was.

"It's been a while," he admitted. "We don't have time for this, Red. I need your help now. We have to find Tifa!"

"First we rest and drink and you can tell me your story. Come." With that, Red bounded off down the path towards his den.

"Oh crap!" swore Cloud softly under his breath. He had forgotten how Red could be. Always thinking of his stomach first. He maneuvered the bike back on the path and tried to keep up with the red fur ball disappearing down the canyon path.

They reached Red's den at last and Cloud dismounted Fenrir and immediately collapsed as his legs gave way under him, his body finally refusing to go any further without recharging.

Red sat at the entrance of his den and shook his head as Cloud stood and unsteadily walked towards him. He sat back down next to Red with a plop. Red motioned to the skin of water hanging from a hook next to him and Cloud grabbed it and drank greedily. He felt the cool sweet liquid replenish his strength as much as a full night sleep and a 3 course meal would have.

Cloud pulled the skin away from his mouth and looked at it with a puzzled expression. Red laughed as his friend's surprise and said "have you forgotten?" Cloud smiled as he remembered the spring Red found when he first explored this canyon. This is why he called Cosmo Canyon home.

"Now tell me, what troubles you. What brings you here? I assume you have not ridden through the night just to drop in on an old friend," said Red.

Cloud replayed the events of the past 24 hours to Red, pausing when he came to his time with Tifa in the room above the bar.

"So, finally it has happened," Red said softly to his friend, watching his face.

Cloud looked over at Red, confused by his comment. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Cloud, I think you must be the only person on this planet who was unaware of Tifa's feelings for you. I am not surprised that your discovery of this would end in such passion, but it's unfortunate that you could not have been more responsible about it."

Cloud lowered his head and kicked the sand with his foot. He stood and walked slowly to the edge of the path in front of the den, stooped and picked up a small rock. He threw it up in his hand a few times, thinking about what Red had just said. Finally he threw the rock as hard as he could out over the canyon and turned around to face his friend.

"You're right, but I'm not sorry it happened. I'll never regret making our baby."

"Well then. Lets get to work," said Red. "Give me the glove."

Cloud pulled the glove from his shirt and pressed it to his face one last time. Tifa's scent was still on it.

"I'm supposed to do that, you idiot. Give it to me."

Cloud smile and threw the glove at Red's feet. The animal stood over the glove, his nose touching it, breathing in its scent.

"Yes, I can tell she is pregnant. I can smell the changes in her scent."

Cloud felt a pang of loss at hearing these words. "_Just let her be ok_," he prayed silently.

"Bring the glove and take me back to the last place you saw her. I have to start from there."

Cloud jumped on Fenrir and took off back up the path with Red running after him.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 - The Homecoming 

Barret wanted nothing more than to see Marlene again. He had been away for too long, but then the trip was worthwhile. He had found a huge oil field. It would keep his business in the black for a while and it would provide Midgar with the fuel it desperately needed now that the ShinRa reactors had been destroyed, "_by yours truly_" he smiled at himself.

AVALANCHE's destruction of the reactors that fed on the planet's Lifeforce was a necessary evil. He didn't regret blowing them up. Someone had to stop the rape of the planet.

He pulled his SUV up to the rear of the bar and hopped out. As he approached the rear door to the kitchen, he noticed that it had been kicked in.

"What the fuck," he breathed softly, immediately on alert. He walked quickly through the door and viewed the damage.

"What the fuck," he repeated more loudly this time. "Marlene!"

"Daddy!" the little girl came bounding down the stairs and threw herself at him. "I saw you drive up Daddy."

Barret hugged his daughter tight, burying his face in her sweet smelling hair.

"Ooof, your squeezing me too tight, Daddy," giggled Marlene, wriggling out of his arms. She grabbed his hand and dragged him into the next room.

"Marlene, where is Tifa? What happened to the kitchen?" he asked. He stopped short at the sight of Rude and Reno standing in the room his daughter was pulling him in to.

Barret pulled Marlene back to him and stood in front of her, his heart beating wildly. What the hell where these two thugs doing here in Tifa's bar with his daughter.

Rude put up his hand, seeing the fear on the big man's face. He didn't want any more trouble. The girl had about worn them both out since she got up three hours ago. "Take it easy, man. We're not here to hurt anyone. In fact, we have been taking care of the little one for ya."

"Tell me what is going on here and be quick about it. Where the hell is Tifa?" said Barret.

Rude and Reno glanced at each other. How the hell were they going to explain this?

"It's best you just call Cloud. He can explain it all to you. Now we have to leave," said Rude as he walked past Barrett.

"Sorry about the kitchen, dude," sneered Reno. They both walked out the door.

Barrett took his phone out of his back pocket and started dialing.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 - Defiance 

Tifa lay on the bed, shivering under the covers. She had no sense of time without windows to look through. The room was silent around her. She was thankful for that at least. She tried moving her legs and cried out in pain. She tried sitting up and fell back to the pillow. She wept silently, placing her hands over her stomach in a protective embrace.

In another part of the house, Yazoo watched on the monitor connected to the camera in her room as Tifa struggled to sit up in bed.

"She's awake," he said. Kadj stood from the chair he had been sitting on and walked over to his brother.

"You hit her too hard, Loz," Kadj murmured. "You never did learn to pull your punches."

"Next time, you can take her on, then," snapped Loz, rubbing his back where Tifa had punched him.

Yazoo chuckled softly at his brother.

"There won't be a next time," snarled Kadj. He turned to look at both of them. "She is the Mother. Remember that and treat her with the respect she deserves."

Yazoo scratched his head. He wasn't too sure about that.

"How long . . .?" he asked.

Kadj smiled at the question. "Well, it usually takes 9 months, but we'll see what we can do about that."

He walked through the room they were standing in with its high ceilings and huge windows, into the kitchen. He had prepared a small meal for Tifa. He picked up the tray and walked downstairs to the room in the basement.

Tifa heard the door open and slowly sat up in the bed. She felt exposed without the rest of her clothes and pulled the covers up under her arms. Her legs still ached but at least her head had cleared enough to allow her to sit.

Kadj walked into the room carrying the tray. He looked over at Tifa and smiled gently at her. His smile disarmed her. He could see her shoulders relax a bit. "_This is good_," he thought to himself.

He walked over to the small table standing next to her bed and placed the tray on it.

"Are you hungry? You need to eat something. I want you healthy," he said in a soft voice.

She watched him walk towards her. Who was this strange man with the weird eyes? He was tall. About as tall as Cloud and built about the same, but he had straight grey hair that fell across his face. His formfitting black leather coat showed a muscular body beneath. He looked young, about 17, but there was something about him, his walk, the way he carried himself, that told her he was much, much older.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" she asked. She thought she already knew the answer.

Kadj looked down at her. She really was quite lovely with her dark brown hair falling across her strong shoulders. She had large, dark eyes that caught the light coming from the single bulb in the room, making them shine.

She squirmed under his intent gaze and slowly pulled her knees up to her chest.

"You're safe here. Do you believe me?" he asked, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"No."

"We mean you no harm," he said quietly.

Tifa passed her hand over the bruise on her ribs and shifted uncomfortably to ease the pain. Kadj saw that she was still recovering from her battle with Loz.

"I have to apologize for my brother. He can be a little too . . . eager sometimes," he said.

"How long will you keep me here?" Tifa asked, not wanting to look into those eyes. They reminded her of Sephiroth.

"That depends on you, my dear, but I would think at least until you give birth."

His words cut through her like a knife. She had pushed the thought that they wanted to take her baby deep down inside her. It was just too horrible a thing to entertain. But now, she had no choice. He had just confirmed her worse fears.

She looked up at him with a mixture of fear and anger in her face. "You will not take my baby. I will kill myself and the baby before I let that happen."

Kadj smiled sadly at her. "I thought you might feel that way," he said, looking around the room.

His gaze around the empty room told her they had no intention of leaving anything lying around that she could use to help her escape or hurt herself with. She noticed that they had even taken her clothes away.

"Your health is very important to us. I want you to eat something," he said, placing the tray of food on the bed next to her. "After all, you are eating for two now."

Tifa looked at the food and the glass of what looked like plain water. She had to admit that she was very hungry and thirsty, not having eaten anything since before the church. She picked up the glass and threw it across the room where it bounced off the wall, unbroken.

"_Dammit_," she thought. She had hoped it would break and she would be able to use the sharp shards to escape.

She looked defiantly back at Kadj and said nothing.

Kadj looked over his shoulder at the cup lying on the floor and sighed. "We can do this either the easy way or the hard way, Mother," his tone dark and threatening. "If you continue down this path, we will be forced to sedate you and force feed you. That will not be pleasant, for anyone."

He stood and retrieved the cup from the floor, placing it back on the tray. "I will leave you to think it over."

He turned and walked back out of the room. As he locked the door behind him, he heard her yell after him.

"I am not your Mother!"

He walked away as the rest of the tray's contents hit the door.

He walked back upstairs to his brothers. He had expected that she would not cooperate, at least not at first. He didn't want to restrain her but he could not let her harm herself or the baby she carried. That would jeopardize their plans. He even hoped that, over time, she would start to see things their way. Well, he would give her some time to think over his last words to her. Either way, willingly or unwillingly, she would join them.

He walked back into the kitchen and picked up a clear vial of thick fluid. He looked at it and smiled.

"_Either willingly or unwillingly_", he thought, "_she will be mine and together we will control the child_."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 – Poison 

Tifa trembled under the covers. It had been at least two hours since Kadj's last visit but his words still replayed in her mind. She knew now that they intended to keep her there and take her baby. She couldn't let that happen. Her baby was also Cloud's baby. It was conceived of genes from both parents and Cloud's had been change by Jenova during his time with SOLDIER. She knew what that meant. This was not going to be a normal child. It would possess powers and abilities she could only imagine and, in the hands of the wrong people, could be used to continue Sephiroth's destruction of the planet.

She lifted the blanket cover and peeked down at her body. The faint glow gave evidence of the child growing inside her. She felt a warm flush of maternal love wash over her. This was _her_ baby. Her's and Cloud's.

"I won't let anyone take you away from me," she whispered to her unborn child. "_Even if it means that both of us have to die_," she thought.

She hugged her knees to her chest again and threw her head back, eyes closed, and rocked back and forth.

"Where are you, Cloud?" she whispered to the empty room.

In the kitchen upstairs, Loz and Yazoo leaned up against the counter and watched Kadj prepare another drink for Tifa. Kadj held the clear vile of viscous liquid over a cup of water and let three drops fall in. He slowly stirred the water until it was clear again.

"Vitamins for the growing mother and child," chuckled Loz.

Kadj held the glass up to the sunlight, looking through it. He smiled and said "Jenova."

"Lets try this again, shall we," he said.

Kadj placed the glass on the tray that also contained a sandwich. He picked up the tray and walked back downstairs.

Tifa looked up as Kadj walked into the room. "_How does he do that?_" she asked herself. She hadn't heard him approach.

"Leave me alone!" she snapped at him.

Kadj smiled and held up a hand in a peace gesture. "You have to at least be thirsty by now," he said walking over to the table. He stopped and looked at her and placed the tray on the table again.

Tifa lowered her head and hugged her knees to her chest tighter. Kadj sighed and sat down on the bed.

"You have to eat," he said with real concern in his voice. "Please, I really don't want to force you."

Tifa looked up at him and snarled "Get out of here, leave me the fuck ALONE!" She threw the tray, food and all, against the wall behind him.

Kadj sighed again and looked down at his hands. "Ok, it's your choice." He stood and turned to the camera. "Let's go," he said to his brothers watching on the monitor upstairs.

Loz looked at his brother and smirked. "Its show time," he said, grabbing the hypodermic needle from the table in front on him. "Bring the straps and watch out for her feet. She kicks." Yazoo chuckled and followed his brother down to the basement.

Tifa sprang from the bed and threw herself at Kadj's back as he spoke to the camera, but he was too fast for her. He whirled around and caught her in mid-air, slamming her back down on the bed, and drove his knee into her chest, knocking the wind out of her. Her eyes flew open wide in pain as she felt like her ribs would crush under him.

"Don't struggle," he growled through clenched teeth. She was much stronger than she looked. Yazoo and Loz burst into the room to help Kadj hold her still. Yazoo grabbed Tifa's flailing feet and pinned her down with his knee. He quickly bound her legs with the leather straps he had brought and tied them to the footboard of the bed.

"Settle down!" Kadj snarled in her ear as he straddled over her on the bed, leaning his full weight on her shoulders. She thrashed around like a wild animal, screaming with rage at the top of her lungs.

"Get the fuck off me! I'll kill you, you fucking bastards!"

Loz grapped one of Tifa's flailing arms and pinned it down on the bed. He wrapped a tourniquet around her upper arm and pulled the tip off the needle with his teeth.

"Keep her still, Godammit," he snarled.

Tifa screamed as she saw the needle.

"No, NO!"

Tifa felt the cold liquid flush into her arm through the needle. She felt the drug work through her system, making her limbs go heavy and her eyelids shut. She was aware of Yazoo and Kadj releasing her as she stopped struggling, and she sank back into the bed. The drug was taking effect. Her mind turned inwards, towards the unborn child she carried.

She became aware of . . . Others . . . Others who whispered to her and to her child of memories from the distant past. Lives lived on planets far from hers and thousands of years ago. Terrible and fierce memories.

"Inhuman . . . monstrous," she whispered.

She saw her unborn child, suspended in her womb, sleeping unaware. The Others wanted to wake her. Wake her child.

"No, she's too young," she murmured softly.

Kadj stood over Tifa, watching the struggle play out on her face. He turned to his brothers and smiled. It had begun.

She couldn't let them wake her daughter. The fetus was only 24 hours old and had no understanding of herself yet. To expose her to sentient thought from other worlds would destroy her unformed mind. Bend her will before she was born.

Now Tifa knew what they wanted and the horror of it hit her with the force of a giant fist. She fought against the Others, against the memories, with all of her being. Placing herself between the Others and her baby, she struggled to find anything that would bring her back and banish them from her mind. Everywhere she turned, she was forced back by the Others, by their unrelenting memories. She saw distant worlds, alien worlds, scarred by the blast of their suns, stripped of their own atmosphere, poisonous clouds drifting past her, strange beings speaking languages she had never heard but she somehow understood. The memories became so loud, she could hardly hear herself think.

"_I must not go mad_," she thought. "_She will have no defense_."

She desperately searched her own memory for a lifeline. She searched her memory for Cloud's face. His sweet, sad, strong face. But she couldn't see it. She whimpered quietly as the rising voices swept over her, threatening to take her sanity.

"Tifa, he's coming for you."

Aeris! Tifa heard her friend's voice faintly in the back of her mind. She turned towards it, struggling to hear. Suddenly Cloud's face flashed in her mind. She caught it before it could be swept away by the Others and held it there, staring into it intently, blocking out the rising babble of the Other's memories.

She suddenly gasped as though coming up for air and sat upright in the bed. She was alone in the dark, cold room, her body covered with sweat. Slowly she moved her limbs, testing to see if she had control of them back. Her head throbbed from the residual effects of the drug she had been given. She looked down at her stomach and saw the glow of her baby was still there, but it was fainter, its heartbeat slower.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to her daughter, tears falling down her face.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19 – The Race 

Cloud felt his phone vibrate in his back pocked and slowed to a stop. Red ran up behind him and paced around the bike as Cloud flipped the phone open. He remembered Tifa's words back at the bar.

"_But you keep your phone don't you? You never answer it so why do you keep it_?"

She was right, he did usually let his calls go into voice mail, but not this time. Not anymore.

"Yea?" he barked into the phone.

"Cloud? Its Barret. What the hell is going on? I got back to the bar and found those two asshole Turks here with Marlene and the place busted up."

"Barret, I'm glad your back. Red and I are on our way back to the bar. We should be there in about an hour . . . they took her Barret."

"Who? They took who? And who is they?" asked Barret, sounding confused. All he could get out of Marlene was some story about a church and a giant.

"They took Tifa," he said, choking on his words.

"What? Why?"

"I'll explain everything when I get there. Try and reach Vincent will you. He may know something by now. See ya in a few." He snapped the phone closed and pushed it back into his pocket.

"Lets go," he said to Red and took off down the road.

After an hour of riding they finally reached the bar. Barret and Vincent were standing outside with Marlene next to the big black SUV. Cloud could see that they were talking intently, Barret gesturing wildly with his big gun arm. Cloud had to smile at the sight despite himself.

He pulled up to his two friends and turned off the bike. Red walked around the area, his nose to the ground.

Barret and Vincent walked over to the bike as Cloud dismounted.

"Vincent told me everything," said Barret.

"Were you able to follow them?" Cloud asked Vincent.

"I looked for them after you left but they had already gone. I brought the other children back to town."

"Hey Red!" Barret yelled over to the animal. "What ya doin', buddy?"

Red picked up his head from the ground he had been sniffing and looked at the big man. "Divining for water, what does it look like I'm doing?" he replied with a good natured sneer.

Cloud pulled Tifa's glove out of his shirt. "She must have dropped this when they took her . . ."

Vincent and Barret glanced at each other. It was obvious their friend was in hell. Barret put his big heavy hand on Cloud's shoulder and said "We'll find her, Cloud. She's a strong girl. She'll be ok."

Cloud turned his head and brushed away the beginning of a tear, trying not to let them see.

"I talked with Cid and Yuffie. They are on their way here. Yuffie will stay here with Marlene and Cid will join us to help look for Tifa," said Baret. Cloud smiled up at him. He was relieved to have his old friends around him and, for the first time since discovering Tifa had been taken, saw a glimmer of hope. He would get her back.

"That's good, but I can't wait for them. They'll have to catch up to us."

He turned to Red and watched the big animal circle the yard, searching for Tifa's scent. Red had been walking back and forth with his nose to the ground trying to pick up anything that would tell him which direction she had been taken. He stopped dead in his tracks.

"There she is," he murmured to himself. He put his nose back to the ground to find the direction her scent went and loped out of the yard.

Cloud jumped back on the bike and revved it back to life while Barret and Valentine ran to the SUV. When Red was on the hunt, you had to hurry to keep up.

Barret called back to Marlene. "You stay here like we talked, baby. Yuffie will be here in a little while to play with you."

"Ok, Daddy!" she answered, waving at him as he jumped into the big vehicle.

The two vehicles followed Red who was running at a full gallop now. He was leading them towards the mountains.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20 – The Conversation 

Tifa had fallen into a dreamless sleep. Loz sat in a chair in front of the monitor with his feet up on the table the next to it. He had watched her come out of the drug-induced stupor and sit up in the bed to check herself.

"Yes its still there" he whispered with a smile on his face. But that was two hours ago and he was getting bored. He stretched, his arms above his head, and yawned. He looked over at his two brothers who slept on the sofas in the other room. He got up and walked outside to clear his head in the cold wind.

The day was waning fast. He looked out over the vista before him. A grand sweep of mountains and valleys, scoured clean of all vegetation by the howling winds that blew night and day. He walked over to the edge of the plateau and looked down at the valley below. He unzipped his pants and fished out his penis to take a pee. He stood there watching the sun set for a while.

He shivered and walked back into the mansion. He wandered through the empty house back towards the monitor. God he was B O R E D! He was used to more action than this and his muscles were complaining that they had not had their regular exercise. He sighed and sat back down at the monitor.

Where was she? She wasn't on the bed. He gripped the joystick and threw it over to the left to make the camera scan the room. Nothing . . . . He moved the camera around the room, but still found no sign of Tifa.

"Shit!" he snarled. "Hey, you two, wake up!" he yelled over to his brothers. They both stirred at his voice and sat up.

"What's wrong," Kadj asked immediately.

"She isn't in the room."

Kadj leapt to his feet and disappeared down to the basement with Yazoo following close on his heels.

Kadj burst through the open door into the room and stood in the middle of it looking around in shock.

Tifa had lain in the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Her thoughts became still in the silence surrounding her. She drifted into a trace-like state, emptying her mind. Her ears picked up the steady, shallow breathing from the two sleeping brothers upstairs and the deeper breathing from Loz as he sat at the monitor. She could hear the scurrying feet of the mice that infested the attic of the mansion three floors above her and the gurgling of the plumbing all around her. The drug they had given her had enhanced her senses so that she could extend her mind beyond her physical body.

She turned her mind inward, searching for her daughter. She had to reach her. She had to be sure the child's mind was untouched by the Others, still whispering to her from a great distance away.

Her mind reached out to her daughter. She saw her suspended in the warm protective embrace of her womb, still asleep. She smiled to herself. She was safe, unaware.

She gazed at her baby in awe. This tiny creature was growing inside her. What an incredible gift this was. She was overcome by a love she had not known was possible. It was different from the love she felt for Cloud, much more intense. She would give her life to protect it.

The baby was perfectly formed. Her tiny heart beat through her translucent skin. The thick umbilical cord was pulsating, taking nutrients from her body to feed her baby. As she watched, the fetus shuddered suddenly and . . . grew to twice its size.

"_What is this?"_ she asked herself, fear growing in her mind.

She could see the millions of double-helix DNA strands swirling around inside each drop of blood passing between herself and the baby. But they weren't the normal 23 pairs, but 46 pairs. Her mind deciphered the code they contained and understood what the drug had done to them both. The extra proteins changed the rate at which her baby was growing and switched on long dormant abilities in their minds.

"_This is how I can see the things I can see_," she thought.

The voices from the Others returned with renewed urgency. Hundreds of voices whispering to her, telling her of their lives. One voice stood out from the rest, however. It was a woman's voice, soft, seductive, and malevolent, and it was speaking directly to her.

"You will give birth to a God," it said to her. "And she will be worshipped."

"But that's not what I want for her," Tifa replied. "She may be capable of great things, but they will come from her father and me, not you."

The voice chuckled softly. "It's done. There is no choice in the matter. Don't be a fool. You will be revered as the Mother of a God! You will be a Reverent Mother."

"And what of her father? What will become of Cloud?" she asked the voice

"He was just the sperm donor, nothing more," it replied with a sneer.

She knew this wasn't true. If it were not for the changes Jenova had made to his DNA, their baby would be developing normally inside her and she would not be having this conversation.

"No, you did this to him . . . Jenova!"

Jenova cackled softly in her mind. The sound sliced through her mind sounding like fingernails on a blackboard.

"What do they want?" Tifa asked, referring to Kadj and his brothers. "And who are the Others? Their incessant babbling is giving me a headache."

"Kadj will take care of you. He will be your consort after the child is born. The Others . . . well . . . they are here to inform you."

"Inform me . . ," she repeated the words in her mind. "Inform me of what?"

"Listen to them, Tifa. They will tell you"

As she heard these words, the babble from the Others grew louder and more insistent. She fought to keep them at bay, not wanting to hear what they had to tell her. Tales of battles and great wars waged over time and space with whole worlds locked in struggle, destroyed and left barren. She turned her back to them and embraced her daughter in the calm silence of her mind. She refused to let them wake her baby.

Jenova cackled at her attempts to protect the child. Her cold laugh fading into the background against the press of the Others' thoughts.

Tifa knew she was going mad. She heard a scream, faint at first, but getting louder and closer, until she realized the scream was coming from her own lips. It banished the voices and brought her to the surface, ripping her away from her baby.

She sat up in bed, gulping for air, sweating profusely, head pounding, every limb shaking. She tried to concentrate on her breathing, slowly bringing it back down to a normal rate. She put her hand to her heart and felt it pounding in her chest. She slowly became aware of the dark cold room around her and knew that she was back in the present. The knowledge of the Others lives, the worlds they lived on, the battles they had fought, receding in her memory to lodge deep in her subconscious.

Her hand went to her stomach unconsciously to feel her baby. She looked down at herself in shock as she realized that her belly had swollen to three times its normal size. She guessed that she looked at least five months pregnant. She slowly moved her legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand. She was felt heavy and off balance as she stood, holding on to the wall next to her.

The muscles in her abdomen cramped, being unused to the stretch of such a heavy burden, and she gasped in pain and sat back down, holding her belly with both arms. She sat on the bed, massaging her stomach until the cramps subsided, and tried to stand again, this time more successfully. Her body was changing, getting ready to give birth and care for her newborn. She smiled as she peeked inside her thin top to see her swollen breasts. Well it wasn't all bad, she said to herself. Cloud would like this.

His face swam into her field of vision as she thought of Cloud. Looking at him calmed her and gave her strength. She could feel his touch, the weight of him as he lay on top of her. It gave her the resolve she needed.

She had to get out of here. With her pregnancy advancing so fast, she knew she couldn't wait for rescue. She had to rescue herself and her baby.

She took a first tentative step away from the bed and stood up unsupported. "_Well that went ok_," she thought. "_Now for another one_," and she took another step further away from the wall. She felt her strength returning with each second that passed. She suspected this newfound strength came from her altered genes, but at this point, she would take whatever help she could get.

Barefooted, she walked over to the door and looked at it. She felt around the edges of the door and pushed slightly at it. It didn't budge. She rapped softly on the center of the door, her ear pressed up to it, trying to determine how strong it was.

Her face set with determination, she stepped back with one foot planted behind her and brought her bare fists up to her chest. She knew this was going to hurt as she didn't have her gloves, but she had to do it. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, pushing out all the voices competing for attention inside her mind. She could feel the strength of her body focus in her fists and waited as it gathered to a critical mass. With a yell she threw her fist into the door and felt it give way before her. She opened her eyes and stood up straight, looking at the damage she had done. The door lay in splinters around her, leaving a gaping whole where it stood just moments before.

She leapt through the door and looked around her wildly for a way out. She saw the stairs and guessed that they led up to Kadj and his brothers above her. She couldn't go that way, so she turned and ran down the hall in the opposite direction.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21 - Escape 

"_How the hell did she get out_?" he thought wildly to himself. He whirled around and looked at the door. It lay in pieces at his feet.

"Dammit!" he swore under his breath.

He turned to his brothers and said "We have to find her. She can't get outside. She won't survive out there."

Yazoo looked at Loz. They could see the panic in his face.

"I'll search the house upstairs," said Yazoo sprinting up the stairs.

Kadj ran off down the hallway in the direction Tifa had fled moments before with Loz close on his heels.

"You were supposed to watch her," he said through gritted teeth.

Tifa ran down the hallway as she heard Loz yell for his brother's to wake up.

"_I have to get out of here_," she thought panicked.

She stumbled forward in the dark, both hands outstretched to feel the walls of the hallway. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness as she ran on. She could see the faint outline of another door ahead and to the right of her. She ran to it. It looked like a bulkhead door. Her heart leapt with joy.

"This will take me outside," she whispered. She grabbed the door handles and pushed. It wouldn't budge. Her fingers ran over the padlock that kept the door closed to the night and swore. Just at that moment, her stomach cramped up again, shooting pain across her belly and through her back. She doubled over and gasped.

"Not now, baby, please not now," she whimpered, holding her swollen belly, gritting her teeth. She stood up straight as the wave of pain passed and shook the lock. Her fists were already damaged from breaking the door down, but she knew what she had to do, she had to get away.

She slowed her breathing and moved her feet into a fighting stance. She closed her eyes and calmed her mind and body, waiting for the force within her to gather. Suddenly she heard Kadj crash through the door of her room behind her. This was the release she needed. Her fist lashed out with a quick powerful punch, shattering the lock. The heavy bulkhead door crashed open. She was almost blown back off her feet by the frigid air that was sucked into the warm hallway. She gasped, catching her breath, as she launched herself out into the night.

She stood by the door, looking around for a place to run. Her thick hair blew around her face, caught by the cold wind, and she brushed it aside with a ruined hand so that she could see. The sun was setting over the valley before her. The place was deserted. No trees or other buildings to hide in. No shelter from the weather. The cold wind was biting into her as she stood, almost naked, by the door.

"Run, Tifa, run!" a voice in her head shouted. It was Aeris, urging her to move. The sound of her friend's voice propelled her into action and she sprinted off in the direction of the snow capped mountains.

She ran and ran for what seemed like hours. She could hear angry voices behind her at first, but they receded into the darkness and all she was left with was her wildly beating heart and the wind whistling past her ears. Even the voices in her head were silent. Finally she could go no further and collapsed on all fours on the ground, panting. Her sweat covered skin chilled her as the wind continued to howl. She shivered uncontrollably and curled up in a ball, her knees pulled as far as her swollen belly would allow up to her chest.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22 - Doubts 

Hundreds of miles away, Cloud sat up, suddenly woken from a light sleep. They had driven through the day until finally Red slowed to a walk and sat down exhausted. He couldn't go any further without rest. Cloud had reluctantly agreed that they needed rest and he built a fire to warm them all.

Red had led them high up into the mountains; through passes that he didn't know existed, following wherever Tifa's scent led him. They all sat around the fire in silence, staring into its flames until sleep took them, one by one.

Cloud rubbed his eyes and looked around at his friends. They were all still asleep. Vincent wrapped up in his cloak, Red snoring gently with his massive head resting on his front legs, and Barret on his side with his back to the fire.

Cloud shivered as the wind cut through him. It was cold up here. Cold and windy. He had no idea where they were but he trusted that Red would take him to Tifa.

He stood up and stretched, trying to work out the knots in his back from so many hours on Fenrir. As he did, Red stirred and picked up his head and blinked at his friend.

"What time is it?" he asked.

Cloud shrugged. He never did wear a watch. He looked up at the sky and the setting sun and said "it looks like it's about 5:00 o'clock. We've been riding all day."

YOU've been riding. Some of us have been running," said Red, licking his paws.

Cloud smiled and squatted down next to his friend and ruffled the fur on his head.

"Thanks for doing this, Red. I don't know what I'll do if we can't . . .," he didn't want to finish the thought.

Red sighed and looked at his friend. "Finding her isn't the problem, Cloud. It's the shape she will be in when we do find her that bothers me."

Cloud looked up into Red's eyes, searching for the meaning of his words.

"What do you mean?"

Red sat up facing the fire, feeling its warmth seep into him. Cloud stood and watched his back as he sat.

"Her scent has changed, Cloud. There is something there that smells like you, only stronger, much stronger."

"What? Smells like me?"

"I think when you . . . when she became pregnant, the Jenova in you transferred to more than just your baby, it transferred to her and its changing her as we speak."

"I don't understand. I can live with Jenova. I can control my own thoughts, now," said Cloud walking over to sit by Red.

"Yes, you can because you received small doses over time and had the strength to fight against the changes. Even then, you still struggled for some time didn't you?"

He looked at the ground and listened to Red words. "Tifa's strong. She's probably the strongest person I know. She'll be ok, she has to be."

"Yes she is strong, but she is also carrying a child now. Her body will be given over to supporting the life growing inside her. She won't have much in the way of physical reserves to fight Jenova."

Barret lay still listening to their exchange. He knew what a woman went through when she was carrying a child. He had first-hand experience with his wife. He knew Red was right. He sat up and turned to face Cloud across the fire. As he did, he saw Vincent was also awake and listening to their words.

"What will you do if, when we find her, Tifa is fully taken over by Jenova?" Vincent asked.

Cloud said nothing. He hadn't realized that Vincent and Barret had heard his discussion with Red. He continued to stare at the ground, moving the small stones at his feet around with the side of his shoe. He remembered back to his struggle to control the Jenova surging though his veins and knew that Tifa was struggling with that right now.

He looked up at the darkening sky. The tiny stars sparkled and winked at him. He said a silent prayer that Tifa would be able to hang on until he got to her.

"Let's go," he said to his companions and whirled around to stride towards Fenrir.

Vincent and Barret looked at each other and both struggled to their feet. Red said nothing. He just put his nose to the ground, picked up her scent again and loped off into the darkness. Cloud switched the lights on Fenrir and followed after him with a roar while Barret and Vincent climbed into the SUV and did the same.

They drove on through the evening like this, Red following Tifa's scent on the air. He could see that Cloud didn't want to think about whether Tifa had been able to hold on to her sanity. If she had lost her mind, she would be very difficult to control and to bring back safely. And if she had been driven insane, then the child she carried would also be lost. It would be too dangerous for them to allow it to be born. They would have to kill it and he was sure Tifa wouldn't let them do that without a fight.

"_We might lose them both_," he thought to himself.

Cloud couldn't get Red's last words out of his mind. He gritted his teeth and stared a hole in the back of Red's head. He would not let himself believe Tifa was lost. She was a strong woman! She would find a way, and if she didn't, then he would spend the rest of his life taking care of her and their child. He still hadn't allowed himself think that their child may be out of his control as well.


	23. Chapter 23

_What follows is the next installment of chapters in my story of Tifa and Cloud. Tifa continues her fight to protect her baby and save her sanity while Cloud struggles with his feelings of guilt and anger. Thanks to all who have sent in reviews. They have all been so kind and are so muchappreciated. I hope you get as hooked on this story as I am. I have no idea how its going to end, except to say that I am a sucker for happy endings. :)_

**Chapter 23 – Sanctuary **

Tifa lay curled up on the ground shivering uncontrollably. She so desperately needed to rest but she knew if she stayed out here she would die of exposure. She slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position, her hair flying around her face, and looked around in the growing dark. She needed to find some shelter. Somewhere she could get out of the elements.

"_What is that_?" she asked herself. Her eyes had picked out an area of the cliff behind her that appeared darker than its surroundings. "Could it be . . .?"

She picked herself up slowly and carefully, trembling violently in the wind and wrapped her arms around her chest. She stumbled towards the cliff wall, falling two or three times on the way. Finally she reached it. She extended a trembling hand towards the dark area of the wall and pushed away the thick, strangling vines that had grown over an entrance to a small cave. She stooped on all fours and crawled inside.

The cave floor was flat and covered with dead leaves from the vine covering the entrance. It had obviously been undisturbed for ages because the pile of leaves was quite thick and very dry. "_I must get warm_," she thought to herself, looking around for something, anything that she might use to light a fire. She saw a glint of the rising moon outside shining off a shard of what looked like brittle rock on the wall opposite her. She crawled over to it, and picking up a large round stone on the cave floor, she smashed it into the rock and broke a large piece off into her hand.

"Hopefully this will do," she whispered. She cleared an area in the front of the cave and piled a small handful of leaves and twigs on thedirt floor. Kneeling over her makeshift campfire she held the flinty rock in one hand and struck it with the other rock. Her hands were still bloody from the damage they took during her escape and her fingers were now numb from the cold. She dropped the rock and cut her hand. She closed her eyes to the pain and cradled her ruined hand under her arm for a few moments, willing the pain away.

"Keep trying," she whispered. Shaking uncontrollably from the cold, she picked up both rocks again and gripping them as tightly as her frozen fingers would allow, she struck the stone against the black flint. A spark flew off the rock and hit the bare ground next to the small pile of leaves.

"Dammit," she swore under her breath. She tried again, and this time the spark hit its mark and started the leaves smoldering. She leaned down near the ground and softly blew on the smoking leaves. A tiny flame leapt into the air and ignited the rest of the leaves. She piled more leaves and twigs on the fire and watched as itgrew in intensity, giving off the life-giving warmth that Tifa so desperately needed. She pushed aside some of the vine to allow the smoke to escape the cave and, gathering some of the rest of the leaves around her, she curled down in front of the fire to rest.

She was desperately thirsty and hungry, but more than that, she was exhausted. Her body and mind had been pushed to the limit, trying to both nurture and protect the growing child inside her and preserve her sanity. She fell into a deep dreamless sleep that even Jenova and the Others were powerless to wake her from.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24 – Found**

Kadj ran down the hall towards the open bulkhead door. He jumped through the door and to the night outside. He looked around him, searching the growing darkness for the half naked woman. He saw a small pale form stumbling in the darkness off in the distance.

"There!" he yelled to Loz, pointing towards Tifa as she ran for her life. They both sprinted off towards her. He stood at the edge of the plateau where he last saw her and looked down into the black void below. A cold, hard wind blew up the face of the rock below him and knocked him back from the edge.

"Shit," Kadj screamed. He whirled on Loz and shouted at him above the howling wind. "Go back to the house and get some flashlights. We have to find her before she freezes out here!" Loz spun around and ran back to the house. He met Yazoo at the door and pointed to where Kadj stood in the distance.

"She's gone. I have to find some torches. We've got to find her. Go help him." Loz disappeared into the house and Yazoo sprinted towards Kadj.

The three brothers searched the area Tifa was last seen, thrusting their lights into every dark corner. They didn't realize that their frantic search took them further away from Tifa's cave, where she lay in an exhausted, dreamless sleep.

The wind had become colder, much colder. It bit into Cloud's face and froze his hands to the handlebars of the bike. His mind had become as numb as his body. All he could see was Tifa's face before him; the light in her eyes and the curve of her mouth. He was concentrating so hard on his vision of Tifa that he almost missed it when Red suddenly bolted to the left and disappeared into the dark. Cloud skidded the bike to a halt and spun it around, his headlight catching Red's glowing tail disappear over a bump in the road ahead. He revved the bike and hurtled after him with the SUV close behind. He caught up to Red a few seconds later. The animal had stopped running and was standing still, with his nose in the air. Cloud turned off the motor and kicked out the stand. He slowly dismounted, his limbs stiff and sore from the night's ride. He winced in pain as that familiar throb returned to his arm. Ignoring it, he walked up to Red and stood in silence behind him. He heard the SUV doors slam and footsteps approach.

"What is it, Red?" asked Vincent

"I'm not sure. There is another trail . . ." murmured Red. He took a few tentative steps forward toward a cliff wall, his nose in the air trying to catch the scent again.

"Is it Tifa?" asked Cloud.

"No, not Tifa, but it's something else that shouldn't be here," said Red as he dashed off into the darkness. Cloud and the other two raced after him, leaving their vehicles behind.

"_What the hell is he doing?_" thought Cloud as he and the other two raced after him. Red was running towards the dark cliff face ahead. As they approached, Cloud could see a faint red flicker somewhere in the middle of the cliff. As they got closer, he realized what it was.

"A campfire!" he yelled to the others. He sprinted towards the glow, passing Red.

"Cloud, wait!" yelled Vincent behind him. But he didn't hear. He needed to get to that fire. As he approached he slowed down to a walk. He knelt down and peered at the glowing embers behind the vines. The smoke stung his eyes as he pulled back the leafy curtain.

"Tifa," he whispered. He could see her near naked body curled up under a pile of leaves just beyond the dieing fire. He sat back on his haunches and breathed in a ragged sigh. He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks.

He carefully crept into the cave past the fire and reached out to brush the leaves from her face. He looked at her for a long time, rubbing a strand of her hair between his fingers. He gingerly moved the leaves away from her body to expose her belly and gasped when he saw how big she had grown. Tears fell unbidden down his face as he pulled her into his lap, wrapping her up in his arms, and rocked her back and forth.

"You did it, baby. You did it," he whispered in her ear. Her head lay heavy on his shoulder. She was out cold but her breathing was regular and her heart beat strong. He looked down at her belly and saw the glow was still there. He smiled through his tears and ran his hands over her swollen stomach. Her skin was freezing. He had to get her warm.

He kicked out the remnants of the fire and gathered her up in his arms. He pulled her out of the cave, careful not to let her get burned by the dieing embers. He emerged from the cave with Tifa in his arms and struggled to his feet. She was heavier than he remembered her being. Vincent and Barret ran up to him and tried to take her out of his arms but he wouldn't let them touch her.

"She's freezing, Cloud," Barret yelled above the wind. "We have to get her into the SUV and get her warm." They both saw how much Tifa's stomach had grown. "_That's impossible_," thought Vincent, "_not in just 48 hours_." Cloud carried her back to the vehicle and gently placed her on the back seat. He scrambled in and pulled her into his arms again. The light inside the truck let him take his first good look at her. Her hands and feet were cut and bleeding. He picked up one of her hands and saw that her knuckles were broken and bloody and the skin covering them torn. He ran his thumb up her arm and felt the tiny hole made by Loz's needle.

"What did they do to you, baby?" he asked her quietly.

Without being asked, Vincent walked towards the bike and mounted it.

Barret rummaged around in the back of the SUV and found a thick blanket he used when he camped out on a job site. He spread the blanket over the unconscious body lying cradled in Cloud's lap and slammed the door shut. Barret jumped in the truck behind the wheel and Red leapt into the seat next to him. He started the engine and turned the heat up to high.

"Lets go," he yelled to Vincent out of the window and gunned the truck back down the path they had come.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25 - Recovery**

They drove through the night in silence. Barret watched in the rearview mirror as Cloud struggled to keep his eyes open. Finally, sleep got the better of him and he laid his head back and closed his eyes. Even asleep, Barret noticed that he kept his hold on Tifa.

As they approached the desert, Red stirred and sat up in the seat next to Barret. "We should take her to my home," he said quietly. "Both of them. They won't think to look there." They knew that Kadj would not let Tifa go without a fight.

"You might be right," replied Barret. He turned the wheel towards Cosmo Canyon and pushed on through the dawn.

They arrived at Cosmo Canyon and, directed by Red, Barret found a suitable hiding place for both vehicles. Cloud had awakened just as they approached the Canyon and understood immediately what they were doing. He said nothing as Barret parked the truck and got out. Cloud gently moved Tifa's head off his lap and laid her down on the seat as he moved backwards out of the truck. His few hours of sleep had replenished his strength but not his soul. He had not spoken a word since finding Tifa in the cave, and Barret was getting worried.

Again, Cloud would not allow them to help him. He picked Tifa up and followed them down the path, carrying her in his strong arms. Red ran ahead to make his den ready to receive human visitors. He didn't get much company and he wanted to make sure the place was suitable for Tifa. As they arrived, Red walked out of the entrance and motioned to Cloud to bring Tifa in.

"Vincent, would you be so kind as to fill that waterskin for me please. There is a spring just down that path," he asked the tall red-caped man. Vincent took the skin off the hook on the wall next to him and disappeared without a word.

"Bring her in here, Cloud," Red said. Cloud followed Red to the back of the den and laid Tifa down on the bed he had prepared. Just then Vincent returned with the waterskin and handed it to Red who carried it back to Tifa in his mouth. He dropped it at Cloud's feet.

"Cloud, she has to drink. Try and get her to drink," he looked up at the man standing over Tifa. Cloud said nothing. He just stood, watching Tifa breathe. Red turned to walk back out to the two men waiting outside, when Cloud said quietly over his shoulder "Thank you Red. Thanks for finding her." Red stopped and looked back at him. He blinked and smiled and walked out, leaving them alone.

Cloud knelt next to Tifa on the bed and pulled her into his lap. He cradled her head in his arms and brought the skin to her lips. He let a few drops of the precious water fall on her lips. She stirred and opened her mouth slightly. He tried again, this time seeing that she took some of the water into her mouth and swallowed. The warmth had returned to her body. The cool liquid made its way down her throat and revived her a little. He watched as the color returned to her face and her eyelids fluttered.

Tifa felt the soothing water run down the back of her throat and flush through her. She could feel her parched body respond and became conscious of Cloud near her.

"Cloud?" she murmured.

"Shhhh, Tifa. Lay still. I want you to try and drink some more," he whispered to her. He held her head against his chest and brought the waterskin to her lips again. This time she grasped the skin in her hands and drank deeply. She coughed and sputtered as the water went down the wrong way and spilled out of her mouth, down her neck. Cloud took it from her, gently laid her head back down on the pillow, and lay down next to her to hold her tight.

"Tifa, you're safe, now," he whispered, kissing her lips softly. His kiss lifted her from her stupor and she slowly opened her eyes. He looked down at her face and gently stroked her cheek. "You made it baby, you're safe." He slipped his arm across her belly and pulled her close to him.


	26. Chapter 26

_This is the fourth or fifth time I have updated this chapter because I keep finding typo's or grammatical errors. Hopefully this will be the last time. I have also added some new dialogue that fleshes out Cloud's feelings about his unborn child and Tifa's realization that her baby has been taken by Jenova. I hope you like this and the next few chapters. Please keep the emails coming. I really do appreciate your comments and I read them all._

**Chapter 26 – The Change**

Outside, Red and the two men sat by the entrance speaking quietly.

"There is only one way that she could have grown so heavy in such a short time," Vincent said, referring to Tifa's swollen stomach. "They had to have given her Jenova."

"What does that mean for the child?" Barret asked, looking intently at his friend. How did he know so much?

Vincent was a bit of an enigma. His dark visage hid a terrible past that he refused to speak of. A past that included torture at the hands of ShinRa scientists. Experiments too inhuman to countenance. He knew only too well what they were capable of.

"It could mean anything. It really depends on what Jenova wants from her. If I were forced to guess, I would say that she wants Tifa's baby," said Vincent quietly. "She needs another Sephiroth."

Barret shuddered at his words. It took all their resources to kill the last one and they almost lost. Lost the planet. Lost everything.

As they sat quietly discussing the events of the past 48 hours, Red picked up a sound off in the distance.

"I think we have company," he said with a low growl. He bounded off into the growing dawn with Baret following close on his heels. "Stay here Vincent," he said over his shoulder.

Barret and Red raced off back up the path, coming up short when they saw Cid walking back down towards them.

"Hey guys!" he said in his usual good-natured manner. "Man I had a hard time tracking you fellas down. Where's the Cloud-man?"

"Cid! God you gave us a scare. How the hell did you find us?" said Barret, glad to see his friend. "How's Marlene? Is Yuffie with her?"

"Whoa, buddy!" said Cid. "I'm glad to see you too man. I left Yuffie with Marlene and I think she said something about going shopping," he said with a smile. "She found your credit cards."

Barret started to swear but stopped when he saw the laughter in Cid's eyes.

"Where did you leave your ship, Cid?" asked Red.

"Oh don't worry about that. I sent it back to the hanger after I got here. Autopilot you know."

They walked back down to the den and told Cid the story of finding Tifa in the cave.

"So you say she looks like she's about six months along?" he asked. "But how is that possible? I saw her last week and she certainly didn't look pregnant then."

"She wasn't," replied Red.

Barret glanced over at the animal and sighed. "Vincent thinks they did something to her."

"They did, I'm sure of it," said Red. "Remember when I said I could tell that her scent had changed? She smells the same as Cloud. She has the Jenova genes and it's changed her . . . and the baby she carries. That's how they were able to advance her pregnancy. Obviously Jenova is impatient and didn't want to wait the usual nine months."

Tifa finally woke fully to see Cloud's worried face close to hers. She felt his breath on her face and reached up to touch his cheek. He took her hand and pressed her palm to his lips. He looked down at her.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hi," he smiled at her, his eyes welling with new tears. He sniffed and wiped them away with the back of his hand. "How are you feeling?"

She had never seen Cloud cry before. She watched him in wonder. She smiled up at him and said "I'm ok."

She lifted her head from Cloud's shoulder and tried to sit. She winced as she pressed her hands down on the bed to support her torso. Cloud sat behind her so she could lean against him. She was still wearing only her thin singlet, which was soiled and torn now, and her panties. She looked down at her swollen belly and ran her hands over it. As she did, she felt a flutter inside her and gasped.

"The baby just moved," she said with awe in her voice.

"What?" asked Cloud.

"Give me your hand." She took his hand and moved it over her belly just as the baby moved again. The warmth of his hand felt good. It relaxed her tight muscles at little. He could feel her belly ripple as the baby turned inside her. He was amazed! This was not just a thought any more. This was life they had created together and he could feel it move, feel its warmth and its heart beat. He felt as though his heart would burst. He had never felt a love as intense as this. He saw that the glow had grown a little stronger now and had spread across her whole stomach.

She looked up at him and smiled. "She'll be ok, Cloud. I wouldn't let them wake her. She still sleeps."

"_Her? How could she know the sex of the baby?"_ he thought to himself. She could read his thoughts and said "there's a lot I have to tell you."

She told him about being held down and injected with a drug. His jaw clenched as she told him what she had gone through at the hands of Kadj and his brothers. She told him about Jenova and the Others and how she had fought to protect their baby. She told him about the changes the drug had made to them both.

"They speak to me even now," she whispered. "The Others"

"What are they telling you?" he asked with concern in his voice.

"Jenova said they are here to inform me. I'm not sure what I am supposed to learn yet. I really don't think I want to know," she answered quietly.

At that moment, she heard the now familiar chuckle in her mind, and her body went rigid.

"Tifa, what is it?" he said with alarm. He could feel her tense and saw the look of terror cross her face.

"Its Her!" she whispered in terror. "Oh, God, no . . . ."

She sank into a trance, turning her mind inward again. She saw her daughter suspended in her womb. She was sucking her thumb. She slowly turned to face Tifa and opened her eyes; eyes with black thin slits where her round pupils should have been and eyes that were aware ofa thousand different lives.

"NOOOOOO!" Tifa screamed.

The scream reverberated around the canyon walls, interrupting the conversation outside the den. Red and the men bolted into the den to see Cloud holding Tifa, her back arched and her body rigid with convulsions.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27 – Epiphany **

Kadj and his brothers had searched the entire plateau but had come up empty. They were freezing in the biting wind and so Kadj reluctantly led them back to the warm house. They stumbled through the front door and Yazoo and Loz collapsed on the sofas in the front room. Kadj stood in front of the fireplace, warming his hands, with his back to them.

Yazoo and Loz glanced at each other. The tight muscles in Kadj's back told them all they needed to know. They had seen him explode in anger before. He was truly dangerous when provoked and neither of them felt like they wanted any more trouble tonight. Kadj, reading their thoughts, said "She's not dead. She's out there somewhere."

Yazoo sighed and sat up. He leaned his forearms on his knees and looked up at his brother. "That may be true, but we can't continue to look for her while its dark. Wherever she is, she will stay there at least until dawn."

Kadj rested his forehead on the mantle and closed his eyes. "Mother," he whispered. He was exhausted from running around in the freezing wind outside but he knew that he was best able to attain the trance when his body was spent. He stilled his mind, letting the extraneous noise from the building around him fall away. He waited . . .

"She's back with him," whispered the voice in his mind. The sound of it always sent a chill down his spine. "_How the hell did he find her?"_ he asked himself.

"Where?" he asked. He waited for an answer but none came. A few moments later, he turned and walked into the kitchen. He picked up the vial of liquid and rolled it between his thumb and forefingers, lost in thought. "_Where would they have taken her_?" he thought. He knew they wouldn't have been so stupid as to take her back to the bar. The bar . . .

He strode back into the other room and kicked Loz awake. He woke with a start and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"You said she had babysitters. Who were they?"

Loz tried to clear his mind before he answered. It had only been a few moments since they had come in from the cold, but as soon as his head hit the sofa, he had fallen into a deep sleep and now Kadj's questions confused him. He shook his head to clear the fog and said "the two Turks, Reno and Rude."

"WHAT! Why the _fuck_ didn't you tell me this before?" Kadj screamed at his brother. His eyes glowed with rage and before he could stop himself, he raised his fist and brought it down to deliver a crushing blow on the side of Loz's head. The bigger man ducked just before Kadj's fist connected and rolled out of his reach. Both he and Yazoo stood with their hands on their weapons, watching, waiting for the next move.

"ARGH!" Kadj growled and turned his back to his brothers, trying to regain his composure. He took several deep breaths and turned back to face them.

"What . . .?" asked Yazoo, looking from Loz to Kadj.

"The Turks, they work for ShinRa, and those two in particular report directly to Rufus," he snarled in reply. Loz and Yazoo glanced at each other, clearly still confused.

"And . . .?" prompted Yazoo. Loz said nothing. He just stood and glared at Kadj, murder in his eyes.

Kadj turned his back on his brothers and walked back to the fire. He was struggling to keep his temper under control. Were they really both that dense?

"If they were watching out for her, that means they are working with _him_." He couldn't bring himself to say Cloud's name. "And they wouldn't do that unless Rufus ordered them to."

Kadj's mind flashed to Sephiroth's face. He was the premier SOLDIER working for ShinRa at its height before Meteor. Sephiroth was ShinRa's creation, made from Jenova's life force, her genetic material, recovered from the Body itself.

"Don't you see? Rufus is trying to control another one. He's protecting the Mother, trying to keep her from us . . . again! He wants this rebirth as much as we do, but for different reasons."

The realization finally sunk in for Yazoo and Loz. Yazoo sat back down on the sofa and stared at the floor, his head in his hands. Loz, still wary of his brother, stood still and said nothing.

"Get some sleep. We have a long ride tomorrow," Kadj snarled at them as he walked to one of the bedrooms in the back of the mansion. He didn't want to be around them right now. He didn't trust himself.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28 – The Mission**

Reno rolled over on the bed and looked at the sleeping woman lying next to him. Her red hair spilled over the pillow they lay on and she snored lightly. He sighed and raised himself to his elbows, squinting in the early morning light streaming in through the window in front of the bed. His mouth tasted like dried, sticky mud and he was sure his breath smelled pretty much the same. The woman next to him stirred a little and he looked back down at her. What the hell was her name again? Lisa . . Linda . . , something like that. He couldn't remember and he really didn't care. She was just another floozy he had picked up at the casino last night. Another gold digger, interested in only one thing; his bank account. He chuckled to himself. He got more ass like that. Well, she wasn't going to get very far, was she? If Reno was anything, he was tightfisted when it came to his gil, especially with casino trash like this.

He slapped the woman on the backside to wake her. She snorted and rolled over, eyes half closed. "Time to leave, honey," he said in a gruff voice.

"What? What time is it?" she asked.

"It's time to leave, now get out!"

The woman was fully awake now. She couldn't believe that she had let herself be suckered into another one-night-stand. "Fuck you," she said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed to retrieve her clothes scattered over the floor.

"No, that was last night. Now hurry up. I need to take a shower," he answered, watching her dress. He had to admit, she was a nice piece of ass. He flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. There was something he had to do today. He searched his fried brain . . . what was it? Oh yea, he had to meet Rude and go talk to the President. He looked at the watch on his wrist and swore under his breath. He jumped out of bed and waved to the redhead as she flashed the finger at him and slammed the hotel room door shut behind her.

A couple of hours later, Reno met up with Rude outside the ShinRa corporate offices. Rude looked . . . pressed, as always; his suit immaculate and his bald head shining in the sun. Reno, on the other hand, still looked like he just got out of bed with his red spiky hair and long pony tail. He only kept the thing that long because he knew it pissed off Rude, who was not bald by choice. Reno walked up to his partner with a smirk on his face.

"Man, you need to get laid more often. You look like you've got a poker up your ass."

"Shut up and behave yourself," replied the big man. "Lets go, you've made us late again."

They walked into the lobby of the gleaming glass building and pressed the elevator button. ShinRa employees and visitors milled around them, giving them both a wide berth. They didn't look like the average Midgar citizen. In fact, they were guaranteed to get an elevator all to themselves whenever they came here, and today was no different. Rude pressed the button for the 45th floor and stood back as the elevator silently rose up the tower, taking them to their appointment.

Rufus looked up from his reading as the two Turks walked through his office door on the top floor of his building. Behind him, floor to ceiling glass windows ran the entire length of the wall, giving him a commanding view of his city. The other walls were mahogany and teak, the most expensive woods left on the planet. He liked to surround himself with the trappings of his wealth. It almost made up for the wheelchair he was confined to and the shroud he covered himself with to hide the Geostigma.

Rude and Reno walked into the room and sat in the chairs opposite Rufus. They had worked for him for about five years now, and knew him well enough to know not to cross him. Lately, however, since becoming infected with Geostigma, they had noted a change in their boss. He seemed to be less concerned about accumulating wealth as in finding a cure for his disease. The same disease that afflicted many others in the city.

"The young woman you found in the church, what is her name?" he asked.

Rude and Rufus looked at each other. This is what he wanted to talk to them about?

"Tifa," Rude answered, shifting uneasily in his seat. "Why do you ask, Mr. President?"

Rufus sat in silence, thinking for a few moments. Reno's brow furrowed as he watched his boss. "_What's going on here?_" he thought.

"You said she was taken from the bar?"

"Yea, there was nothing we could do. There were four of them and they were all on mako," answered Reno. He glanced sideways at his partner who just rolled his eyes.

Rufus smiled to himself. Reno's macho posturing had always been a source of amusement. "Do you know why she was taken?"

"Cloud didn't say, but if you ask me, it's because he knocked her up," Reno said. "He was pretty pissed off about it," he said, remembering Cloud's rage at finding Tifa gone.

"And why would Tifa being pregnant by Cloud matter to anyone, do you think?" asked Rufus, leaning over the desk towards them. Reno and Rude looked at each other in confusion. They hadn't understood that at the time and still didn't.

Rufus picked up a piece of paper lying on his desk and read it again. It was a report from his company scientists. He had asked for Cloud's files upon hearing of Tifa's abduction and found it buried deep, next to innocuous information about the former mercenary.

"This is a report from Dr. Hiro. It details the attempt to infuse Cloud with the Jenova serum when he first applied to SOLDIER. It was unsuccessful, but only because the treatments were interrupted."

Reno looked at Rude again. They had both heard the stories before. Why was this so important to bring up now? Rufus saw the question on Reno's face and continued.

"This report also details the events that transpired after Cloud left ShinRa. Apparently he met up with a former employee, someone with the knowledge of Jenova and the means to complete Cloud's treatment. Unfortunately, the man had an over inflated opinion of his own skills and gave Cloud a final treatment that contained the wrong mixture of the serum."

"I'm sorry, Mr. President, but I still don't understand the significance of this. We all know the story about Cloud. Why does this have anything to do with the girl?" asked Rude.

Rufus looked up at the two before him. He leaned back in his chair and winced as the pain from the Geostigma stain on his hand ran up his arm and across the back of his neck. The other two in the room watched as he struggled to control the pain. Reno was very glad he had been spared this affliction, although he couldn't bring himself to feel any empathy for those who had been. "_It's their own fault_," he thought to himself smugly. "_They must be of inferior breeding to have been infected in the first place._"

Rufus sighed. They didn't have the benefit of the knowledge the piece of paper in his hands had given him. He continued, "because, the final treatment was a dose that contained more than just Jenova. This fool also added stem cells saved from Lucretia's umbilical chord. Remember Lucretia was Sephiroth's mother. She was the first . . . subject to receive Jenova. The dose given to her was much more concentrated than those subsequently given to SOLDIER recruits," he said. "We didn't know as much then," he added in a soft voice.

Rufus moved his chair away from behind the desk and approached the huge windows overlooking the city. "The city's air is much cleaner since Meteor," he mused, as much to himself as to the other two in the room. "You would think people would be happier to have blue sky to look at."

He sighed and turned to face the two Turks. "I believe that stem cells given to Cloud have been passed on to his child and to the girl. Stem cells are unique in that they can be used to create anything the growing fetus needs. Brain, bone, heart, anything. This girl, Tifa, did not have the benefit of our program of incremental doses and training to control Jenova." Rufus paused to gauge the reaction of the two sitting opposite him. "_Did they understand? Do they get it yet?_" he asked himself.

He continued. "To make matters worse, I have learned that the last remaining dose of Lucretia's original stem cells has gone missing. I believe that Kadj has it and he will use it on the girl, if he hasn't already. Under Jenova's influence, that genetic material could be used to create another Sephiroth!"

Rude and Reno looked at each other in shock. Now they understood.

"Shit," Rude said under his breath.

"Yes, you might well say that," replied Rufus. "If this child is born under Kadj's influence, we will have another war on our hands the likes of which this planet has never seen."

"And Cloud?" Rude asked.

Rufus sat in silence for a few moments. "Cloud is driven by his feelings for the girl and the knowledge that she is carrying his child . . . and perhaps by guilt over what he has done to her. He has no idea how to control this child. I, on the other hand, have the benefit of experience."

He looked over at the two Turks, sitting in stunned silence before him and said "I need you to find Tifa before she gives birth and bring her here to me. Cloud will not let her go easily, and neither will Kadj, so you will need to kill them both, I would think."

"_Oh, is that all_," thought Rude as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"What will happen to the girl after she has the kid?" asked Reno. Rude looked over at his partner in amazement. "_What the hell does he care?_" he asked himself.

Rufus was also surprised by the question. Perhaps he had misjudged Reno. He appeared to understand more than his partner did. He smiled and replied, "Both the mother and the child are important, Reno. If what I suspect has happened, then the girl probably has abilities that will make her a very valuable tool in our efforts to control the child and fight Jenova. But that's a two-edged sword. All depends on her strength of will and if she's able to hold on to her sanity. If I can get to her fast enough, I believe I can help her with that."

"How? How will you be able to help her from loosing her mind?" he asked.

Rude looked incredulously at Reno. He knew the man had a smart mouth, but he had never heard him question the President so directly. "_What the hell is he thinking? He's going to get us both killed,_" he thought. He glanced quickly at Rufus's face to gauge his reaction and saw what he expected.

Rufus gunned his chair towards Reno and pulled up short directly in front of him, causing Reno to stand quickly and the chair under him to fall back on the floor. "Don't mistake this chair for weakness, Reno," he growled. He stood and swept the shroud off his shoulders and grabbed Reno by the throat. Reno clutched at the other man's fingers, trying to pry them free before he blacked out.

"Mr. President!" Rude's voice next to him broke through Rufus's rage and he loosened his grip on Reno's throat. Surprised by his own actions, he stumbled back and sat down hard on his wheelchair.

"You have your orders, now go," he snarled at the two men. Reno, rubbing his throat, said nothing. He followed Rude out the door and back to the elevator lobby.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29 – Vision or Dream?**

Kadj woke the next morning, much more refreshed. He rose early and took a small breakfast of fruit and coffee as his brothers snored gently in the other room, still on the sofas in front of the dieing fire. His exchange the previous evening with Loz didn't bother him. He just didn't give it any thought and he assumed that Loz wouldn't either. He snapped open a small, hard covered case containing fresh hypodermic syringes and needles, and pressed the vial of stem cells into the waiting sleeve. He ran his fingers over the smooth surface of the small glass bottle and smiled. Soon he would be united with Mother and together and they would control the Others and the rest of his brothers and sisters invited by Geostigma to join them on their journey.

He had the dream during his sleep. He stood again on a promontory rock overlooking the huge expanse of a new planet, a warm breeze blowing his hair back from his face. At his feet, for as far as his eyes could see, were thousands upon thousands of worshipping acolytes. Their voices rose in unison as they chanted his name. His feet left the ground as his single, black wing lifted him high above them to join Mother, hovering over them all, shining a brilliant, blinding white with her flowing gown fluttering in the breeze and her long, dark brown hair whirling around her angelic face. In her arms, she carried an infant. A beautiful baby girl who, like her mother, radiated a brilliant light.

It was more of a vision than a dream. He knew that. It was inevitable. Jenova wanted this and he was the instrument of her desires. They were almost there. The only thing standing in his way was Cloud and the two Turks. "Easy enough to take care of," he murmured to himself.

Again, his fingers found the clear vial. "Enough for her and for me," he whispered, closing the case with a snap. He shoved it down inside the front of his coat and walked into the other room to wake the other two. He kicked the backs of the sofas to wake them

"Come on, its time to go."

They both stirred and sat up. Yazoo rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palms and said "I have to pee and I need to eat."

"Me too," said Loz, standing up to stretch.

"10 minutes and we leave," said Kadj as he turned to retrieve his pack from the room he slept in the night before.

Yazoo and Loz turned to watch him as he disappeared down the hall. Loz, snorted and shook his head. The rage of the previous night was gone and in its place he was left with a renewed caution towards his brother. He picked up his weapon and walked into the kitchen to find himself something to eat. Yazoo brushed his long grey hair out of his eyes and went off to find the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, they met back in the front of the building and fired up the engines of their bikes. "Where are we going?" Yazoo asked.

"To find the Turks. They'll lead us to Mother. Let's go," he answered as he roared off down the path leading back out of the mountains.


	30. Chapter 30

_Author's Note: I finished writing this chapter about 3am last night. It's probably the most intense piece of the story so far and I felt like a punching bag after it was done. I hope you like it. Let me know what you think._

**Chapter 30 – The Battle**

Cloud held Tifa as she convulsed in his arms. All he could do was hold on to her while her body twisted and shuddered and watch while she screamed. He looked up with wild eyes at his friends as they rushed to his side, silently begging for help. Barret reached her first and snatched the girl's convulsing body from Cloud, pushing him on his backside. He lifted her easily in his huge arms.

"Bring her to the stream, Barret," yelled Red.

Barret ran back outside and down the path, close behind Red, with Tifa struggling and screaming in his arms. Cid and Vincent ran after them but Cid stopped to look back at Cloud, still sitting stunned where Barret had pushed him. He ran back to Cloud, hauled him to his feet and forced him to run after them. They reached the pool of clear water that fed the spring, and Red jumped in, motioning Barret to do the same with Tifa. Cloud and Cid appeared just seconds later.

Cloud stood at the edge of the pool, frozen to the spot, unable to move. Vincent stepped quickly up to him and slapped him across the face.

"Snap out of it, Cloud!" he yelled.

The biting sting of the backhand slap across his face galvanized Cloud into action. He jumped into the pool and took the struggling Tifa from Barret and held her tight as she thrashed around in the water. He closed his eyes as she screamed and convulsed, willing her to calm down.

"Tifa," he whispered urgently in her ear. "Tifa, come back to me. I love you. Fight them and come back to me. Fight them!"

Deep in her mind, Tifa heard Cloud's faint plea. She was locked in a death struggle with Jenova for her sanity and that of her daughter's. The Others screamed at her, forcing her see horrors that she could never have imagined, trying to break her, while Jenova cackled in the background. Desperate for a way out, she searched for Cloud's voice.

"Tifa," Cloud yelled at her. "Tifa, I'm here. Fight them . . . FIGHT THEM!" he shook her.

She was dimly aware of the cool water surrounding her and felt it seep into the parched pores of her skin. The Lifestream waters eased her muscle contractions, allowing her to relax her grip on her body and concentrate on the battle raging for her sanity. Cloud's voice rose above the screaming of the Others, and another voice joined his.

"Tifa, protect her," Aeris's whisper cut through the clamor.

Somewhere in the depths of her mind, in a place so deep the Others couldn't reach, she knew full well what they were doing. They needed to strip her of her sanity, to keep her busy, so that her unborn child would have no defenses. They were speaking to her daughter now, whispering gently to her and telling her all their secrets. Tifa searched her mind for a memory, a vision, anything, to hang on to. The flower garden Aeris had planted in the church came to her. She could see the tiny yellow and blue flowers and smelled their scent. It was what she needed. She willed her mind to calm and turned her back towards the Others to face her baby. She saw her again, suspended in the warm embrace of her womb, surrounded by the whispering Others. She wrapped her mind around her daughter, forming a barrier that the Others couldn't penetrate.

Her struggles eased and her screams faded, but still battle with the Others raged on. The sun rose high in the sky and started its slow descent again towards evening while Cloud held her in the pool as she struggled and trembled, her unseeing eyes wide open.

"Tifa . . . ." he whispered again to her, tears running down his face. They were both exhausted. Barret and Red stood in the pool up to their waists while Cid and Vincent watched from the water's edge. They watched the battle raging in her mind play out on her terrified face. Finally, Vincent closed his eyes and turned away, not able to watch any more. Cid squatted on his haunches and looked at the ground.

Tifa concentrated on the sound of Cloud's voice. It was her lifeline in a boiling sea of torment. With every ounce of strength she had left, she pushed the Others back down into her subconscious. She turned to Cloud's voice and could feel him lift her gently from the brink of insanity. Slowly the trembling ceased and her eyes focused on his face as he held her.

Seeing that she was back with them, Cloud gently touched her face, brushing away a tear. He kissed her gently on the lips and sighed with relief.

"Tifa, are you with me?" he asked quietly.

She looked up at him and smiled, her fingers reaching up to touch his lips. "I love you," she whispered faintly. He smiled and pulled her close to him, rocking her gently in the water. They sat like that for a long while, his friends around him with their heads bowed.

"Cloud, we must get her back to the den," said Red quietly. "The sun is going down and it will be getting cold out here soon."

Red's voice raised him from his reverie and he nodded. He looked at Tifa's face and saw that she had slipped into a gentle sleep. Carefully, he picked her up in his arms and stepped out of the pool. He followed the others back up to the den and laid her back down on the bed. He stripped off her soaking top and pulled the blankets back over her. He squatted at her side and watched her sleep for a long time until his legs went numb. Only when he was sure she was fully asleep did he stand carefully, shaking out the muscles in his legs, and walk back out to the rest of the group.

He sat down next to Vincent and put his hands out to the fire to warm them. He was still soaked from the pool and the cool night air was making him shiver. The sun had set and the moon was just beginning to rise over the canyon walls. The stars twinkled down on him out of a velvet black sky. He looked up at them and wondered if those same stars were shining down on anyone with a normal life right now.

"What was she fighting, Cloud," Vincent asked quietly.

Cloud sighed and crossed his legs in front of the fire, letting its warmth seep into him. He looked around at his friends and saw the concern on each of their faces. He told them what she had told him. About what she had endured at the hands of Kadj and his brothers, and of the Others and Jenova. He told them about how Tifa was fighting to save her own sanity and that of their unborn child. And he told them what Aeris had said to him back in the Forgotten City when he battled with the brothers. It seemed like an eternity ago now, but it was really only 3 days.

"So, Kadj gave her a drug that has advanced her pregnancy and, I suspect, much more," murmured Red. "And you say that Aeris warned that she would go through a lot of pain before it was all over?" he asked.

"Yes, yes she did," he answered quietly. "I believe she's been with Tifa all along. It's probably the only reason she hasn't gone mad yet."

Red stood and padded around the fire, thinking. He turned to Cid. "Cid, I think we need your ship. Can you bring it here?"

"Sure, that's no problem, but why? Where do you want to go?" he asked.

"We have to find the man that helped Cloud when he first left ShinRa."

Cloud looked up at the big animal with a puzzled expression on his face. Vincent looked down at the ground and sighed. Red turned to Cloud to speak to him directly.

"Cloud, do you remember much of when Tifa took you to that doctor after you returned to Midgar?"

Cloud listened to his words and tried to remember. The memory was faint and confused. He had been very sick and out of it most of the time. "It was somewhere on the outskirts of Midgar, I think. A run down place, not really somewhere you would think a doctor would live."

"We have to find him. He may be able to help her."

"He may not be alive any more, Red. That was a long time ago and I don't even remember his name," said Cloud.

"Let's hope that Tifa does. We will have to ask her when she wakes up," Red answered. "In the meantime, it's been a very long day, for all of us. We should get some sleep because tomorrow will be an even longer one."

Cloud nodded. He looked over at Barret and smiled. "Thank you Barret . . . Red. I don't know what I would have done if not for you guys," he mumbled.

Barret smiled and slapped him on the back. "That's ok, kid. We're all in this together. Now go and get some sleep. You look like you could get knocked over with a feather right now."

Cloud smiled and nodded again. He stood slowly to his feet and stretched the muscles in his back. "Goodnight," he said quietly, and turned to walk back into the den to Tifa.

He stood over her for a few moments, watching her sleep, and then stripped off his wet clothing and slipped under the covers to hold her against his naked body.

"You are a brave girl, Tifa. And you will be a wonderful mother," he whispered to her. She smiled in her sleep and snuggled closer to him, seeking the warmth of his body. He pulled her to him and felt their baby move against his stomach. He smiled slightly and closed his eyes and immediately fell into a dreamless sleep.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31 – Friends**

The sun rose over the canyon the next morning to find four sleeping forms lying around a dieing fire. Vincent was the first to wake. He sat on the ledge overlooking the canyon, watching the colors change on the walls opposite him. Behind him Barret and Cid both snored loudly, and Red lay on his back with his paws in the air, his hind leg twitching with some sort of dream that Vincent really didn't want to know about.

He looked around him at the sleeping trio with a bemused expression on his face. At that moment, Cloud walked out of the den, bare-chested, wearing only his still damp trousers. He stood and looked at the sight of his friends, caught a look from Vincent, and stifled a chuckle.

"That's the first time in days I've had occasion to laugh," he said to Vincent, a smile growing on his face.

"That's a good thing. How is she?" asked Vincent.

"She's still sleeping, thank God," Cloud responded, walking over to sit by his friend. "I am so hungry I could eat a horse."

"Well, I'm not sure if there are any of those around here, but how about this?" said Vincent, pulling a nutria-bar out of his pack and throwing it over to Cloud. Cloud caught it and ripped it open, biting off a big chunk.

"Is there any more of that water around?" he asked around a mouthful of food. Vincent sighed and threw the water skin at him as well. Cloud grinned and said "thanks, Mom."

"Hey, ya got any more of those things?" said a sleepy Cid, rolling over to sit up straight. Vincent threw the whole pack at Cid, hitting him in the head and knocking him back on top of Barret, who promptly rolled over, threw a sleepy arm over his neck, and continued to snore. At this, both Cloud and Vincent burst into laughter, Cloud's nutria-bar spurting out of his mouth.

"Hey, what's all the commotion out here?" asked Tifa, walking unsteadily towards them. Shewore Cloud's sweater and a blanket wrapped around her waist. Even beat up and pregnant, she looked beautiful, thought Cloud. Her thick dark brown hair fell across her strong shoulders and down her back as she approached them. She stumbled as the sun hit her eyes, blinding her momentarily. Cloud jumped up and caught her just before she hit the ground.

"Goddammit, Tifa, you're going to give me a heart attack. Sit down and eat something, please." He helped her walk past Red and Barret, who were stirring now, sat her down between Vincent and himself, and handed her a nutria-bar.

"Hey, what the hell, Cid!" said Barret, waking to find himself hugging the man.

The four men and Red sat and talked quietly amongst themselves, eating the rest of Vincent's Nutria-bars and drinking the water from Red's stream. Tifa sat in silence listening to their banter and nibbled on the bar Cloud gave her, feeling her strength return. The voices of the Others had receded deep into her subconscious and she knew her baby slept. She leaned against Cloud's shoulder and closed her eyes, letting the sun bake into her aching muscles. It felt like days since she had felt the warm sun on her skin and for now she just wanted to sit there and soak it up while the voices inside her were calm and quiet.

Red walked over to Tifa and sat down in front of her, looking into her eyes.

"How are you, young lady?" he asked. She smiled at his tone and replied that she felt fine.

"We need to think about what to do next. You are obviously close to delivering that baby, and I don't think four men and a dog can help you with that. Also, we must assume that Jenova will make another appearance soon." Tifa nodded her head and said nothing.

Red continued, "we were talking last night, and . . . well I was thinking that perhaps there might be someone who could help you." At that, Tifa looked up at the animal, hope in her eyes. She had not wanted to think that far ahead to the birth of her baby, but she knew he was right.

"Do you remember where you found Cloud after the incident at Nibelheim? I believe there was a doctor there that helped Cloud recover his senses after he had been given the Jenova serum. We were thinking that perhaps he could help you."

Tifa's eyes clouded over as Red's words brought her back to that time years ago when she had searched for Cloud. It's true, she had found him in a hospital and had stayed with him while he recovered.

"It was in Mideel, before Meteor struck. There was a hospital there. I don't remember the man's name, but he was very kind. I believe he used to work for ShinRa at one point. He seemed to know a lot about Jenova." She dropped her gaze to her hands and examined their bruised and broken knuckles. "I doubt that the place still stands now," she added quietly.

"Mideel . . . ," said Cloud. He looked up at Tifa. "I thought it was Midgar." She smiled and said, "No, Mideel. You were very sick at the time."

"Then we must go to Mideel and find this man," said Red, rising to his feet. "Cid?"

"Already done. The ship will be here within the hour."


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32 – Mideel**

Cid's new ship, Sierra, arrived at the canyon a while later. They loaded the vehicles and headed for Mideel. Barret found a spare t-shirt that he gave to Tifa. She wore it now, returning the sweater to its owner. The t-shirt hung loosely to her knees. "_At least it fits my middle_," she thought, looking down at her changing body. She sat in a seat in front of Cid and ran her hands over her stomach with a small smile on her lips. Cloud watched her from across the room. He thought she had never looked so beautiful . . . or more fragile. He could see that her nerves were shattered; she jumped at every sharp sound and her eyes at times became wild when he was out of her sight even for a moment. _"If we don't get her help soon . . ."_ he didn't want to finish the thought.

They traveled for several hours as the ship floated above the ground, crossing what used to be verdant forests and crystal clear lakes, but which were now just barren wasteland and huge craters where the ShinRa cannons had been. They approached what used to be Mideel. The twisted skyscrapers and refineries broke the horizon ahead of them. They could see the remaining citizens of the devastated town had done what they could to rebuild their lives by erecting shacks in the desert surrounding the city walls. They flew over row upon row of shanty buildings, held together with nothing more than corrugated tin and mud. Children ran below the ship as it passed over them, racing to see who could stay within the shadow it cast on the ground at their feet.

Tifa stood on the bridge of the ship gazing down through the clear hull at the ruined city below. She scanned the horizon and searched her memory for a familiar landmark. It was so long ago . . .

"There," she said, pointing to what used to be a sprawling complex of buildings. It was now just a bombed out shell with not a soul in sight. "I think that's it."

"Ok, let me find someplace to put this baby down, then I guess it's a search and destroy mission for us. Well search anyway," he grinned at Cloud.

True to his word, Cid found a suitable place to land the craft and they offloaded the vehicles. Cloud turned to Tifa. Hestruggled to know what was best for her; to leave her at the ship or to keep her with him. "_Last time I left her . . ._ ," he thought to himself. Reading his thoughts, Vincent said "Tifa, come with us in the SUV."

Tifa let herself be led to the vehicle, looking back over her shoulder at Cloud. He smiled and winked at her and said "You'll be safe with them, baby. I'll be right behind you." He walked over to Fenrir and mounted it again. It felt good to be on the bike and doing something proactive for a change. He flicked open the weapon compartments in the faring, withdrew his swords, and slid them into the scabbards on his back. He was ready.

He led the small convoy towards the old hospital building, driving through the bombed out streets. As they approached, they saw the building was completely uninhabitable; much of the roof had gone and many of the stairs where collapsed. Cloud parked the bike and walked to the SUV. "Vincent, come with me. The rest of you stay here with Tifa." Barret smiled despite himself. He wasn't used to being told what to do, but this Cloud was sounding like the old Cloud. It was good to hear.

Tifa watched from the truck as Vincent and Cloud walked into what was left of the building. She fought a growing feeling of panic as she watched them disappear from view. Red saw her reaction and sat down close to her, his warm fur against her arm.

Cloud and Vincent walked slowly through the unlit hallways of the old hospital. His memories of the hospital were vague and confused. "_The place must look very different from how it looked back then,_" he told himself. They searched the building, moving from floor to floor, finding the same thing everywhere they looked; empty rooms and more dark hallways. They had started back down towards the truck when they heard something off in the distance. Cloud stopped and glanced at Vincent. He heard it too and drew his pistols. Cloud pulled his sword quietly out of his scabbard as they crept towards the sound.

They slowly and silently approached the end of the hallway where they thought the sound came from and peeked around the corner. In a room off the hall they saw a short, slight, bespeckled man wearing a white lab coat rummaging through some old file cabinets, muttering to himself. He carried a small torch clenched in his teeth so he could see the contents of the files he was looking for.

"It's got to be here somewhere. It has to be," he muttered to himself around the torch. Cloud looked at Vincent. He looked harmless enough and didn't appear to be armed. Cloud stepped out into the hallway behind the strange man. "What are you looking for, old man?" he asked in a clear loud voice. Startled, the man dropped the flashlight in his mouth and spun around to face both men. The flashlight hit the ground and rolled away from him towards Cloud. He squeaked, "Please don't hurt me. I don't have any gil. I'm just looking for some old files. I can't hurt you."

Cloud picked up the flashlight and put up his hand, trying to calm him. "We're looking for something too or someone actually. Perhaps you can help us."

At the sound of Cloud's voice, the strange man stood up straight with a quizzical expression on his face. "Do I know you?"

Cloud was sure he had never met the man before. "I don't know, do you?" he asked.

The little man took a few tentative steps towards Cloud, peering at him through his thick glasses. "Yeessss, it was a number of years ago now, but I remember. A young woman brought you here. You were very sick, very sick . . ." his voice trailed off as the memory came back to him.

"No, I don't know you, I'm sure of it," he said, this time with a tinge of fear in his voice. He backed away from Cloud and Vincent, looking wildly behind him for a way out of the room. Cloud dropped the flashlight, took three quick strides to him, and grabbed the front of his shirt. "Perhaps this will refresh your memory," he said, his face inches from the other man's.

"I don't want any trouble with ShinRa," squeaked the man. "Please, I'm an old man. I can't hurt anyone. Tell them I'm not going to talk to anyone, please"

Cloud and Vincent glanced at each other. This was the man they were looking for! His stroke of luck at finding him here made Cloud suspicious. He twisted the man's shirt tighter in his hand and pulled him closer to his face. "Who told you we were coming here?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"No one, no one," said the man, obviously confused now. Cloud let the man go and stood back from him. "You do know me, don't you? Don't lie."

The man looked from Cloud to Vincent and suddenly dropped his shoulders and sighed. "_He's not going to let me out of here_," he thought to himself. "_I might as well tell the truth_." "Yes, yes, I know you. You're a ShinRa SOLDIER. You were brought here by a young woman and put in my care," he said. "I should have stayed home sick that day," he muttered to himself.

Cloud smiled despite himself and said, "I'm glad you didn't. I believe you saved my life.." He sheathed his sword. "What were you looking for?" he asked.

The man had obviously forgotten his errand and was a bit nonplussed by the question. "Looking for? . . . . Oh yes! Well I was just trying to find some files I had left here some time ago, nothing important you know. By the way, my name is Dr. Tendo. I used to work here . . oh, but then you know that don't you."

"And you worked for ShinRa, too, didn't you?" asked Vincent. He had stood in the background, watching the exchange between the two. He had recognized the man from the ShinRa laboratories.

"Why, yes, I did. But that was a long time ago, and I'm afraid my tenure with them was not very long or very pleasant. Er . . . do I know you too, sir?"

"No," replied Vincent, stepping back into the shadows. Cloud looked at Vincent with a puzzled expression. "_What is he hiding_," he asked himself.

He turned back to the other man and said, "Dr. Tendo, you're coming with us,"

"I am? Oh no, no I couldn't possibly do that. I'm expected at home soon, you know," Dr. Tendo answered with growing fear in his voice.

"It's not a request," said Cloud as he grabbed the older man's arm and walked him out of the building with Vincent bringing up the rear.

Cloud forced the old man to sit behind him on Fenrir and drove back to Sierra. He didn't want him to sit in the SUV with Vincent, knowing somehow that his friend didn't want Dr. Tendo to see his face, at least not yet. They loaded the vehicles back on the craft and reassembled in the crew quarters below the bridge. Dr. Tendo's eyes flew wide open when he saw Tifa walk into the room. Forgetting his fear for the moment, he stood and walked over to her.

"Do you remember me, my dear?" he asked, taking her hand. She winced as his fingers explored her broken knuckles.

"Yes, it's Dr. Tendo, right? I remember you helped us when Cloud was sick a few years back, before Meteor," she answered tentatively.

"Dr. Tendo, this is your new patient," said Cloud, walking up behind Tifa and placing an arm around her waist, pulling her to him. Tendo looked from Tifa to Cloud.

"Ah, I see. So you are about to become parents. That's nice," he said. Tifa blushed under his gaze and looked at Cloud with a small smile on her lips. She moved her hand across her belly as the baby kicked inside her.

"But, young man, I am not an Obstetrician and this young lady obviously needs one."

"Sit down, Dr. Tendo, we have something to tell you," said Red.

Tendo jumped when he heard Red's voice and looked at Cloud with an obvious question on his face.

"Yes, sit down and have a cup of coffee. There's a lot we have to tell you," said Cloud, passing the confused man a cup of fresh brew.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33 - Blood**

They talked with Tendo, telling him everything that had happened over the past few days. Tifa sat silent, only answering questions that were put to her by Tendo. Vincent stood quietly in the shadows, leaning up against the bulkhead, and watching the old man.

Tendo stood up and sighed. He paced around the table and stood in front of Tifa. He took a tiny flashlight out of his coat pocket and, lifting Tifa's chin, he shined its pinpoint light into her eyes. "And you say this child was conceived only three days ago?" he asked.

"Four now," replied Cloud, shifting uncomfortably on his feet.

"Please stand up, my dear," Tendo lifted Tifa's hands and pulled her from her seat at the table. She stood before him with eyes downcast, embarrassed by the attention on her.

"Yes, well if I was to guess, and I'm not an Obstetrician mind you, I would say you look to be about seven months along," he mused.

"How is that possible?" asked Cloud. Finally someone who could give them some real answers.

"Obviously the drug she was given has had an effect on her gestation cycle," Tendo answered. "The question now becomes, what was in the drug?"

He thought to himself for a moment and said "I need some blood samples and I need my laboratory. I also need to go back to the hospital and retrieve the records I was looking for when you found me."

"Ok. Barret, Cid, and Dr. Tendo come with Tifa and me. Vincent, you and Red stay here and watch the ship," barked Cloud, moving out of the room.

"No, I'll come with you. Cid should stay here," said Vincent in a low voice.

His words surprised Cloud and he spun around and looked at his friend. He assumed that Vincent wouldn't want to be around Tendo. He shrugged and said, "Ok Vincent, if that's what you want."

Cloud left Tifa in the SUV with Vincent and Barret while he accompanied Tendo back into the hospital to retrieve the records he needed. He had left the motorcycle on the ship and so climbed back into the truck with Dr. Tendo and drove off to find his laboratory.

Tifa sat in the back between Cloud and Tendo, saying nothing during the ride. Cloud glanced down at her face, his unease at her silence growing. "_This is not like her_," he thought. The put an arm around her shoulders and drew her to him so she could rest her head on his shoulder. "_Perhaps she's just tired_."

With Dr. Tendo directing them, they wound their way through the city and approached a small single storey home on the outskirts of town. It had obviously seen better days; the grassy lawn was gone, replaced by dirt, and thick vines now covered much of the front of the building.

"This is it," said Tendo, getting out of the vehicle. "My lab is downstairs." He led the group through the house and down some basement stairs. Tifa paused at the top of the steps, looking down into the dark basement below and grasped the stair railing with trembling hands. "It's ok, baby, I'm right here," Cloud whispered in her ear. He stood behind her, waiting for her to take the first step down. "Take your time." Tendo turned and looked back up at Tifa, seeing the struggle on her face. He flicked the light switch on to illuminate the hallway below and waited for her to descend.

Tifa stood at the top of the stairs, frozen to the spot. Her mind flashed back to the room in the mansion with Kadj and for a second thought she was back there. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and slowed her breathing. "_Keep it together_," she whispered to herself. She took a first tentative step down the stairs, holding tight on to the handrail. Gathering her courage, she walked down the rest of the steps, feeling Cloud close behind her and followed Tendo into a large, brightly lit room.

"Please sit over there, my dear," he said, motioning to a stool near a bench by the wall. Cloud walked her over to the stool and sat her down, real concern showing on his face now.

"I need to take blood samples from both of you," said Tendo. He labeled two clear glass vials and attached themto syringes.

"You need my blood too?" asked Cloud.

"Of course, my boy. After all, it was your chromosomes that started all this," answered Tendo. He took blood from both of them and walked over to an array of microscopes across the room. Without looking up from his work he mumbled "There is a bedroom upstairs. I suggest you take her up to it and let her rest."

"Good idea," said Cloud. He stood and helped Tifa back up the stairs with Baret following him.

"Hey Doc, do ya got any coffee in this place?" asked Barret over his shoulder as he left the room.

"Somewhere" mumbled Tendo, already engrossed in his work.

Vincent stayed in the laboratory, standing with arms crossed leaning up against the wall, watching Tendo.

Cloud led Tifa through the small house and found a bedroom in the back. The bed had obviously not been used in a long while as there was a thin layer of dust everywhere, but the sheets were clean and the bed looked comfortable. Without speaking, he pulled Barret's huge t-shirt over Tifa's head and laid her down on the bed, covering her with the blankets. He sat down on the bed next to her and softly kissed her closed eyelids.

"Are you ok?" he asked with a worried expression on his face.

"Stay with me, Cloud," she answered in a small voice. She pulled tentatively at his arm. He smiled at her, stood to take his clothes off, and slipped into the bed next to her. He held her close to him, feeling her arms slip around his waist and her breath on his cheek. He pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss and stroked her hair. He closed his eyes, willing his body to calm. He knew this was not the time for passion, but his body didn't. She smiled to herself as she felt his passion grow and snuggled closer into the base of his neck.

The closeness of her, her smell, the softness of her skin drove him crazy and he lost the battle with his body. They made love with gentle passion.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34 – Bad Memories**

"What did you do for ShinRa," Vincent asked quietly.

Tendo had been working in silence for ten minutes before he spoke. He looked up at the dark man with a start. He had been so engrossed in his work that he hadn't realized he was not alone. He peered over his glasses at Vincent and stammered "I worked in the ShinRa mansion, in their laboratories, for Dr. Hiro.

Hearing the name, Vincent pushed himself off the wall and walked into the light to face Tendo. The doctor breathed in sharply. He suddenly recognized the tall man standing before him. His eyes registered Vincent's long dark hair spilling over a blood-red cape, his claw-hand and the red headband he wore on his forehead and his deep blue eyes half hidden beneath strong brows. He swallowed and carefully placed the vials of blood down on the counter.

"I remember you," he said quietly, his voice shaking. He sat down on the stool behind him and looked down at his hands. "It was a long time ago." Both men stood in the silent room eyeing each other. Finally, Tendo asked "What's your name?"

"Vincent Valentine," he replied, his jaw set in anger.

"Vincent Valentine . . . yes, I remember now." Tendo looked up at Vincent and sighed. "Hiro was mad, you know. He went mad after Lucretia gave birth to that . . . thing. Maybe even before . . ."

Vincent stood silently watching the small man, his rage building as the memories of Lucretia came flooding back. Tendo sensed the tall man's growing rage and grew more fearful. His voice shook as he spoke.

"Vincent . . . there was nothing I could do to help her. He kept his plans to himself until it was too late. He had each of us working on a different part of the project and didn't let us discuss what we were doing with each other. Even Lucretia herself worked on Jenova."

"What did you do for ShinRa," Vincent asked again, this time with an edge to his voice.

Tendo sighed again and looked up at Vincent. "My job was to map Jenova's chromosomes. Did you know there are 23 chromosomes in human DNA? Well, Jenova has 46. I had only completed about two thirds of the job before I left ShinRa. I left after Lucretia had her baby, and I left because I didn't want to be a part of what was happening there, what was happening to you and to others."

Vincent walked over to the counter and picked up one of the two vials of blood that Tendo had been working with. He rolled the warm vial between his fingers, thinking back to his time in the ShinRa mansion basement. "Why? Why did they do the things they did to me . . to the others?" His voice shook slightly as he spoke. This was obviously a question that had been on his mind for a long time, thought Tendo. Suddenly Vincent appeared vulnerable, not the strong angry man who stood before him moments before.

"Hiro was mad, Vincent. He was sick, evil, crazy. There wasn't much method to his madness . . . except for Lucretia. He knew exactly what he was doing there."

Tendo stood and walked to the other side of the room and opened a small refrigerator. He reached inside and pulled out a small hard case. Closing the refrigerator door behind him, he carried the case back to the counter and opened it. Inside was a small clear glass vial that contained a frozen liquid of some sort. He picked it up and held it up to the light.

"I took this from the labs before I left ShinRa. It belongs to Lucretia."


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35 – Road Trip**

Rude snapped his phone shut and turned his attention back to the road. He and Reno were driving towards Mideel, where his informant told him a large airship had just arrived.

"It's got to be Hightower's ship," he said. "Take your fucking feet off my dashboard," he said, slapping Reno's feet down.

Reno glanced with irritation at Rude and sat up straight in the seat. "God you are an old woman," he said. They had been driving for the past 24 hours on and off looking for Tifa and he was stiff and bored.

"Are you sure this time?" Reno asked.

"As sure as I can be from this distance," Rude answered.

Reno had been in a particularly bad mood since leaving Rufus's office and he refused to talk about what had happened, except to say that he couldn't care less what Rufus did with Tifa. He just wanted to get the job done and collect his fee, or so he said. Rude didn't believe him. He knew Reno well enough to know when the younger man was hiding something. He wasn't very good at disguising his emotions.

Rude had finally given up trying to pump Reno for information and settled in for the long ride. Reno fiddled with the map in the seat next to him, trying to get the thing refolded back to its original size and gave up in disgust.

As they drove through the desert, Kadj and his brothers watched them from atop a ledge overlooking the valley floor. He pushed his phone back into his pocket and smiled. Rude was too easily fooled. They continued to watch until the car was almost out of view before they gunned their bikes down the rock face and raced off after them.

Rude approached the town and slowed to the speed limit. It was difficult to see much from ground-level but his informant had told him where to look. He drove around the outskirts of the town to where he was told an old abandoned airfield would be. He saw the huge hangers off in the distance set back from the runway. The place looked deserted. He smacked Reno awake and slowly approached the field and parked the car.

"What's this place?" asked Reno, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"What does it look like? Hightower's ship is supposed to be in one of those hangers. Let's go find out, shall we?"

The two Turks approached the group of hanger buildings silently, making sure they were not seen, and searched each one. They found the Sierra in the last hanger. She was a huge ship, at least two stories tall, with a large bridge section slung beneath two enormous gravity drive engines. The bridge had a large window that gave a clear view inside. The air around it crackled with static electricity and it hummed quietly as the gravity drives pulled gently against the thick cables tying it to the ground inside the hanger.

The craft looked as deserted as the airfield. They circled silently around her, looking for a way in. Reno felt a damping field as he passed the back of the hull and ran his hands over what looked like a door in the side of the ship. He heard a faint whirring sound coming from somewhere inside. He stepped back and watched the door drop silently to the floor. He looked back at Rude, shruggedand slowly stepped inside.

Red and Cid talked for a while after Cloud and the others left. They reminisced together about their exploits during the war, each trying to out-lie the other about the various acts of heroism they had each performed. They talked more seriously for a while about Tifa and what might happen if she were not able to get the help she needed and who the Others might be.

"I believe the Others she speaks of may be voices of long dead victims of Jenova's," said Red quietly. "Her description of the visions they showed her lead me to believe Jenova has been traveling through the galaxies, destroying whole worlds as she goes."

"But why? What's the purpose of leaving all that destruction in her wake?" asked Cid.

"I think she's looking for something . . . perhaps a perfect place, her version of Nirvana," answered Red.

They were talking like this as the two Turks pulled up to the airfield in Rude's car. The sensors Cid installed in the area around the hanger buzzed quietly on the bridge, alerting them to the intruders. Cid rushed to the panel and switched on a monitor. The screen flashed to life and showed them a view of the area around the building they occupied. Each camera showed a different angle and he switched from one view to the other until he found the one pointing in Rude and Reno's direction.

"Shit, how did they find us?" breathed Cid under his breath. He snapped open his phone and was about to dial Cloud's number when Red stopped him.

"He'll want to come here and if he does, they'll find Tifa. We're on our own with this, Cid," warned Red.

Cid nodded slowly and put his phone back in his pocked.

"Ok, here's what we do . . ."

Rude and Reno stood just inside the door, looking around. They strained to hear any sign of life and heard nothing but the low hum of the ship around them. They walked slowly forward towards the bridge and stepped onto a lift. As they did, they felt an electric field spring to life around them, holding them captive in a bubble of static electricity.

Cid and Red stepped out from their hiding place and stood before the suspended and trapped Reno and Rude. Cid chuckled at the two Turks, struggling against their electric chains and said "Well, well, we have visitors, Red."

"What do you two want here?" asked Red with a growl.

"Let me the fuck out of here," growled Rude, struggling against his bonds.

Reno stopped struggling and watched as Red circled them. "Rufus wants Tifa's child," he said.

Rude looked over at him with surprise. "Shut the fuck up you idiot!" he growled.

Reno ignored his partner and spoke directly at Red who had stopped circling them and sat down in front of Reno. "He wants to control the child. He said that he could stop her from going insane," he said.

"Did he say how he could do this?" asked Red, ignoring Rude.

"No . . . but I have a good idea how"

"What?" said Rude in shock.

"How?" asked Red and Cid in unison. They both approached Reno with renewed interest in their eyes.

Reno paused for a moment before answering, his eyes narrowing as he spoke. "He has a drug that he's used on others before. It's a drug that Dr. Hiro created after Sephiroth was born."

"Why are _you_ here, Reno?" asked Red. He suspected he knew why but he wanted to hear it from Reno's own lips. The young man said nothing at first. He stood suspended in the static field, floating two inches off the ground, and stared at the big dog sitting in front of him. Red and Cid could see the struggle going on in his mind. Next to him Rude still fought against his bonds.

Finally Reno spoke. "I'm here to stop Rufus from getting what he wants," he said simply. Upon hearing his words, Rude stopped struggling and whirled to look at his partner.

"What!" he yelled at Reno.

Reno glanced at Rude standing next to him. He was glad the static field they were both trapped in prevented the big man from breaking his neck.

"Why?" asked Red quietly. He waited, giving the man time to answer.

"Because, I've seen the results of his work. Seen it up close. It's not something I ever want to see again." Reno's shoulders slumped. He felt like he had just shedthe 300lb weight that he had picked up in Rufus's office.

"And because I know that if Rufus gets his hands on that child, he will use it to try and control Jenova. I've had enough of war . . ." he said, his voice trailing off.

"Tell me about this drug and what it does," said Red.

Outside, just beyond the reach of Cid's sensors, Kadj and his two brothers sat on their bikes, looking at the hanger. Kadj absentmindedly tapped his fingers on the small hard case he carried on his chest inside his coat.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36 – Secret Valentine**

Tendo continued to work through the night. He measured and mixed, referred to the notes retrieved from the hospital and peered into his microscopes. Hours later, he slowly climbed the steps.

Cloud and Barret sat in the kitchen eating whatever they could find. Tendo walked in and rubbed his eyes. He had been working non-stop since they had arrived and he was on the verge of exhaustion. He sat down and gratefully took a cup of coffee from Barret.

Tifa walked . . . waddled . . . barefoot out of the back bedroom wearing Barret's t-shirt again. The glow around her middle had grown brighter and now showed through the thin cloth covering her. Tendo watched her walk behind him and sit next to Cloud, who slipped his arm around her shoulders. Feeling all eyes on him, Tendo spoke.

"I have been able to isolate the agent that's changed your gestation cycle," he said directly to Tifa. "I believe the same agent has also heightened your senses which make you more vulnerable to Jenova's influence." He saw that they didn't understand and continued.

"Jenova is in the Lifestream of this planet now. We are all affected by her to some small degree, but in most of us, that influence is so small as to not be noticed. However, because of the drug Tifa was given, she has become more . . . sensitized . . . to Jenova's influence to the point where she can converse with her."

"What about this?" asked Tifa, her hand on her belly covering the glow. Tendo looked down at her stomach and sighed.

"That light comes from the child. It's caused by the changes made to Cloud's DNA. I'm afraid that may be my fault," he said quietly.

"What?" said Cloud, standing up.

Tendo looked nervously at him and put the cup of coffee down on the counter. He paused and looked down at his hands and said "when you were brought to the hospital, you were very sick, almost dead. Blood tests revealed that you had been given an infusion of a drug that I recognized as Dr. Hiro's serum made from Jenova DNA. I did the only thing I could think of to reverse the effects and save your life. I gave you a counter agent that I made myself. The counter agent changed your DNA."

He pulled the small vial he had taken from the freezer out of his lab coat pocket and placed it carefully on the table in front of them all. Cloud picked it up and rolled it between his fingers looking through the glass at the opaque liquid inside.

"Be careful with that, my boy. It's the only one of its kind," said Tendo.

"What is this?" asked Cloud. He carefully placed the vial back on the counter.

"It's the counter agent I just spoke of. Its main components are stem cells Hiro had me take from Lucretia's placenta after she gave birth to Sephiroth." Hearing his words, Vincent shifted on his feet standing away from the wall he had been leaning against. Tendo looked over his shoulder at him and continued.

"There were two vials. I took both of them with me when I left because I knew that Hiro would use them to make the very drug that has been given to Tifa," said Tendo. "Unfortunately in my rush to leave the building, I tripped and one of the vials fell out of my hand. I didn't have time to search for it as I was being chased by . . . a SOLDIER, and I wanted to live." As he said those last words, he glanced back at Vincent who said nothing. "Obviously that lost vial was found . . ." his voice trailed off.

Cloud glanced at Vincent. "_So that's what he's been hiding_," he thought to himself. He stood and walked over to Vincent.

"What do you know of this, Vincent?" he asked with an edge to his voice. The tall man looked into Cloud's eyes and saw them flash with anger. "_This time had to come_," he said to himself.

"Yes, I was the SOLDIER chasing Tendo out of the mansion. Remember, at the time I worked for ShinRa and I had been assigned by Rufus to protect Hiro and the work he was doing. It was a long time ago . . ." his voice trailed off. Cloud stood his ground, waiting for more. Vincent glanced at his friend again and sighed.

"I knew nothing about Hiro's plans for Lucretia until it was too late. He raped her after . . . infecting her . . . with Jenova DNA. I stayed with her until she gave birth. I loved her . . ." he said, his voice sad with the memory of his beloved Lucretia.

He paused while the memory of the last time he held Lucretia as she died in his arms washed over him. Hiro had taken the child immediately after she gave birth, not allowing her to even touch her baby. He remembered the confusion and pain in her eyes as she bled to death, and his own anger and desperation that he was not able to do anything to help her.

"I went mad. I wanted to kill anyone who had anything to do with what happened to her, and so I chased after you when I saw you steal something from the lab. Hiro must have found the second vial," he said to Tendo.

Cloud's face softened as he listened to Vincent's story. He could see that the man was obviously still in pain over it. He understood the grief Vincent must have felt now that he was in love himself; in love with both Tifa and their unborn child. He put his hand on Vincent's shoulder.

"I think I know what you were feeling, Vincent," said Cloud. He turned to look back at Tifa and prayed silently that he would never have to.

"So what does this all mean?" asked Barret as Cloud walked back to Tifa's side.

"This counter agent may help reverse the effects of the drug Tifa was given, but I have to tell you, there is a great risk that it will make her worse." He let his words sink in before continuing.

"This drug contains some of Lucretia's stem cells along with Jenova DNA. I have altered the genetic makeup of both components so that they should act as counter agents to the drug already in her system. I've only ever tried it on one other person before," he said, looking at Cloud.

"Well, it worked on me," offered Cloud hopefully.

"Yes, my boy, but you were not carrying a child at the time," he smiled at Cloud. "I have no idea of the effect on your baby, Tifa," Tendo said to her. "It should help you to fight Jenova and the Others, help you banish them from your mind. But you will still have to fight and it's a fight you may not win."

"Why do you say that, Dr. Tendo?" Tifa asked. "I've fought them twice already and I'm still here."

Tendo looked sympathetically at the young girl sitting opposite him. She looked so hopeful and so very fragile with her sweet face, shining eyes and dark hair flowing over her shoulders.

"This fight will be to the death and Jenova will know it. She will use all her resources. You are close to giving birth now, and she may not stop at taking your life if it means that's the only way her baby can be born," said Tendo.

"I told Kadj I would kill myself and _my_ baby before I let Jenova take her," said Tifa in a clear voice.

Cloud's heart skipped a beat and his legs almost buckled under him when he heard her words.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37 – Lies**

"It was supposed to control the effect Jenova DNA had on SOLDIER recruits," Reno said. "I saw some of the people he had used it on when I went to visit a friend in the veteran's hospital. They were . . . " his voice trailed off as the memory of that day came back to him.

"They were what?" Cid asked as his eyes flashed with anger.

Reno looked down at the man in front of him. "They were empty . . . shells. There was nothing there after he was done with them. I don't know what that drug did, but after they used it, those people, they were turned into vegetables."

"Reno, think carefully before you answer my next question," said Red quietly, looking straight in the young man's eyes. Rude had stopped his struggling and was listening intently to the exchange.

"Where did Rufus get this drug?"

Reno sighed and looked up at the ceiling. He knew this was coming. He gazed at the static field glowing around him for a moment before answering. "He told me that his scientist made it for him. A man named Dr. Tendo."

Red looked quickly at Cid and turned back to face Reno. "Not Dr. Hiro?"

Reno's forehead furrowed as he heard the question. "No, it was Tendo, I'm sure of it. Why?"

"Shit," said Cid under his breath. He spun to face Red, fear showing on his face. "Red, we have to get to them before he gives her anything!"

Red was already half way out of the room. He yelled over his shoulder to Cid, "bring him with us and try and reach Cloud on your phone."

Cid and Red shoved a handcuffed Reno into the back of Rude's car and took off to the hospital. They had tried to reach Cloud but found his phone was set to send all calls to voice mail. They had no idea where Tifa and the others were but Red knew if he could pick up the scent at the hospital, they had a chance of finding them. He jumped out of the car and circled the ground where they saw tire tracks. Cid watched him from the car, willing him to find something that would lead them to Tifa and Cloud.

Red finally picked up a familiar scent. It was Dr. Tendo, he was positive. He followed it out of the hospital parking lot and on to the street. Cid followed with Reno in the car.

Standing on a building above the area where Red searched, Kadj smiled down at the trio. Soon, he would have Mother back. "_She must be getting close to her time now_," he thought to himself. _"Soon I will witness the birth of a God."_

Back at the ship, Rude struggled against his bonds. They had left him there floating inches above the ground still encased in his electric prison. His threats and promises of dire consequences fell on deaf ears as he watched the other three leave the ship. Reno looked over his shoulder at him as he exited through the door, a strange look on his face.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38 – Prelude**

Cloud shook his head to try and get Tifa's last words out of his mind. He pulled her to him and held her tight against his chest. "I won't let them hurt you or the baby, Tifa," he whispered.

She stepped back from his embrace and looked up in his terrified eyes. She cupped his face in her hands and gently kissed his lips and said, "This is something I have to do alone, Cloud. You can't protect me any more," she said quietly to him.

Cloud looked wildly around to Tendo. "Give me the drug too. That way I can be with her, I can help her fight Jenova." Tendo just smiled sadly and shook his head.

"It doesn't work that way, Cloud. It's something she has to do alone. She's right; you can't help her with this."

"No, I won't accept that. There must be a way!" he shouted, his body trembled with fear for the first time in his life. It was too much for Barret and Vincent to watch. They both turned away rather than see their friend, their leader, in so much anguish. They had seen him face down monsters conjured from the depths of evil and kill Sepiroth, the most feared warrior the world knew, and now here he was, brought to his knees by the fear of a loved one's loss.

Tifa turned Cloud back to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and held him tight, willing his trembling to stop. "It's alright, Cloud. I love you. You've made me strong, much stronger than I've ever been. I can do this. I can. Whatever happens, you and the planet will be safe. I won't let her win."

She turned to Tendo and looked him in the eyes. "Lets do this."

Tendo smiled at her and picked up the vial containing his counter agent. "I suggest we set up in the bedroom. It will be more comfortable and will be easier for us to restrain you if we need to."

"Restrain her?" asked Barret, looking from Cloud to Tendo.

Tendo stopped walking down the hall and turned to look at the others. "Yes, she will need to be restrained to prevent her from hurting herself or us," he said simply and continued to walk towards the bedroom. After a moment, Tifa followed after him, leaving the three men standing in the kitchen.

Tifa paused at the bedroom door and looked at the bed she and Cloud had made love on just an hour before. She walked over to it and felt the bed. It was still warm and smelled faintly of their lovemaking. She smiled softly to herself at the memory and slowly lay down.

Cloud joined her in the bedroom and sat down next to her. She smiled up at him and held his hand. "I'll be here with you all the time, baby," he said softly. "I won't leave you no matter what happens."

"Tie her legs and arms down to the bed with those, please," Tendo said to Vincent and Barret. They strapped her down using the soft bindings Tendo pointed to.

Cloud looked down at Tifa, bound hand and foot to the bed and tried to smile. Tifa returned his smile, a tiny tear escaping her eyelashes. He brushed it away and gently kissed her lips. Tendo flipped open the hard case he had carried up from the basement and took out a sterile hypodermic needle and syringe. He drew some of the counter agent drug into the syringe and tapped it lightly.

"Now, my dear, are you ready?" She nodded to him. "Just try and relax," he said. He wrapped a tourniquet around her arm and tapped her skin to raise a vein. Finding one, he swabbed it with cold alcohol and slowly threaded the needle into her vein. He looked up at her face and slowly pressed the plunger on the syringe, pushing the drug into her body.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

_Author's Note: I have a feeling the next couple of chapters will take me a while to write, so please be patient as I may not be able to post them for a few days. I kind of feel like Tifa; knowing that pain and suffering lie ahead but not having the power to avoid it._


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39 – Insanity**

Tifa lay on the bed with her eyes closed, trying to relax her body. She felt the cold liquid flush through her arm and into her heart. She watched as her heart pushed the drug around her body. She could see each drop of blood and the strands of foreign DNA they contained spinning and swirling around her system.

Tifa turned her mind inwards towards her daughter. She saw her suspended in her womb, sucking her thumb. Her eyes were closed; she was sleeping. Tifa watched her baby in amazement. The child had grown to almost her full birth weight. She was perfectly formed and had a tuft of blonde hair growing on her head. A red light glowed bright from her chest, pulsating in time with her heartbeat. Her face reminded Tifa of her own; a heart-shaped face with cupid bow lips and arched brows. Her long elegant fingers curled up into tiny fists. The baby hiccuped as she slept and Tifa felt a flutter in her stomach. It was a strange sensation, both seeing and feeling something going on inside her.

As she watched she felt rather than heard Jenova behind her. She turned to face her enemy, steeling herself for the battle to come.

As she turned, she was blinded by a white light that flashed all around her. When it faded she saw Jenova standing before her. Her long white hair flowed gently around her face and shoulders. She stood tall, over 6', wearing a tight fitting silver robe that revealed her muscular and slender body. She held her hands, palms up, by her side. Her head was bowed and she looked at Tifa through hooded pale cats eyes. She smiled knowingly at her and said "Welcome, Tifa."

Tifa stood silently, watching and waiting. Behind her, Tifa's daughter opened her eyes and watched both of her mothers.

"You can't have her, Jenova. She's my baby. Mine and Clouds," said Tifa.

"Look at her, Tifa. Look at her eyes. She knows!"

Tifa turned to look at her daughter and groaned in despair as she saw that her baby did indeed know. She looked into the girls' eyes and saw recognition there. Knowledge of herself and of the Others and of Jenova!

"No," she whimpered. "Oh no." Tifa felt a wave of incredible sadness wash over her. The growing howl of the Others reaching up from the depths of her consciousness flooded over her in a wave of despair.

Cloud and the other men watched Tifa drift into unconsciousness as the drug took hold. He watched as she whimpered and wept, her fists clenched, straining on her bonds. He brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes and whispered her name. "Tifa, stay with me."

Cloud's voice and touch brought her out of her despair. She fought against the voices and the visions, trying to clear her mind of their intrusions. She knew that she would only be able to fight Jenova and the Others if she didn't allow them to take her too deep. She pushed them away with the last remnants of sanity she could muster and turned back to face Jenova.

"You can't have her," she repeated.

"Tifa, you are the birth-mother of a God. You will be worshipped and revered. You will rule over a bright new planet and together we will raise our daughter to fulfill her destiny as the One in all the universe," said Jenova, pacing around her. The light radiating from Jenova filled her mind until all else was obliterated.

"And what's in it for you, Jenova? What do you get out of this?" asked Tifa, her eyes locked on the glowing form circling her.

Jenova threw back her head and laughed. The laugh sounded like breaking glass and it shattered her mind. Tifa was drowning, suffocated by hundreds of hands covering her mouth and nose, blocking off her airways, pushing her down into the abyss. Visions of splintered minds caught in the swirling blackness circled her, pulling her down.

"I get to live again!" Jenova sneered at the terrified girl.

Tifa felt a rush of wind pass through her. She could no longer feel Cloud's touch or his breath on her face. She could feel nothing. She could see nothing. She was alone in the silent, black, cold wastes of her insanity. She was only dimly aware that Jenova now possessed not only her body, but also her baby.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40 – Jenova**

Tifa struggled on the bed, her mouth open wide in a silent scream. Her body convulsed so violently that Cloud feared she would break her back. She strained at her bonds until they left red welts on her ankles and wrists. He was helpless. All he could do was stroke her hair back from her face as she thrashed silently on the bed. He had sent the others from the room; he didn't want them to see her so vulnerable.

"Tifa . . . Tifa, please come back to me," he whispered plaintively.

Her body relaxed and sank back down into the bed. Her fingers unfurled from tight fists and her breathing slowed to a normal rate. He sighed with relief. "_She must be through the worst of it,_" he thought to himself. He watched her face, stroking her cheek, willing her to open her eyes and speak to him.

A small smile curled on her lips and she opened her eyes to look directly at him. Cloud found himself looking not at Tifa's bright round burgundy eyes, but at pale grey eyes split by black vertical pupils. She chuckled as he leapt to his feet in shock. The sound of her laugh sent chills down his spine and sent a jolt of adrenaline through his body, causing him to tremble.

"We meet again, Cloud," said Jenova. She sat up in the bed and looked at her hands, still restrained by their bonds. The bindings shriveled to dust at her wrists and ankles and in one fluid movement she stood and reached for Cloud's throat before he could react. She lifted him off his feet, cutting off his airway, preventing him from crying out for help. Cloud struggled against Jenova's iron grip on his throat, frantically trying to break free before he blacked out. She laughed as he struggled and lifted him further off his feet. In a last ditch effort before he lost consciousness, Cloud kicked out with all his remaining strength, connecting with Jenova's knees. Surprised by the pain, she dropped him in a heap at her feet. She looked down at him as he struggled for breath.

The pain in her knees brought her attention to her borrowed body; this new body that lived in the physical world. She looked down at her hands and clenched her fists. She walked around the gasping Cloud, allowing her new found senses to flood her mind. It had been so long . . . eons . . . since she had inhabited a physical form. Her borrowed senses brought back memories from past lives on distant planets. She ran her hands across the pulsating light that glowed from inside her. She felt a flutter of the baby and stopped dead in her tracks.

Cloud watched her discover her new body and feel the growing life inside her. His baby, _his_ daughter, was now a captive of the ancient evil standing before him.

"Where's Tifa?" he asked with a croak, struggling to his feet.

"I like this body," she said walking around the room. She picked up a pillow from the bed, felt its fabric with her fingers and pushed it to her face, breathing in its scent.

Cloud rushed Jenova while her back was to him. He caught her around her neck and slammed her back down on the bed, straddling her thrashing body and leaned his full weight on her chest. The sound of struggle brought the others from the next room bursting through the bedroom door. They stood transfixed at the sight of Tifa pinned to the bed. Cloud turned his head and screamed at them.

"Help me tie her down!"

Jenova laughed at Cloud, his face just inches from hers. She suddenly pushed him off her chest and threw him across the room as though he weighed nothing. Barret sprung into action and launched himself at Jenova. He caught her in mid-air as she rushed them, trying to get out of the small room. She whirled in his arms and brought both fists up to slam him in the chest. He was stunned when the force of her blow knocked him off his feet and he crashed into the wall across the room. She spun around and faced Vincent who stood between her and freedom. Her eyes flashed in triumph as he the look of recognition flooded his face.

"Jenova," he whispered.

"Yeessss, that's right," she said. She stood upright to regard the tall man standing in the door. She closed her eyes momentarily and a bright light flashed around her. When his eyes cleared, Vincent saw Tifa wearing a silver coat, her dark brown hair spilling over her shoulders to the small of her back. Her full breasts and round belly showed plainly through the long, tight fitting garment. Somehow she seemed taller, much taller. In her hand she held a long sword that glinted in the fading light from the windows. She shifted the impossibly long, thin sword in her hand as she smiled at him and brought it around to point at his throat.

"Valentine, let me pass," she said with a growl.

In answer he brought his guns up to aim at her but paused before he pulled the triggers. Jenova watched him hesitate and threw back her head in laughter.

"What will you do, Valentine? Will you kill Tifa? Kill Cloud's child? Well you can try," she said. She stepped back and swung at Vincent's head. He easily ducked under the blade and rolled into the room. She whirled around to face him as he landed on his feet. He brought the guns in his hands up to aim at her again.

"Stop Vincent!" Cloud screamed from behind him. Jenova smiled and looked over to Cloud who now stood on his feet and watched him draw his sword. Before he could pull the sword fully out of its scabbard, she spun around and flew out of the room. Her movements were so quick and fluid that Cloud didn't have time to react. Without a word to the others he ran after her out of the house and into the city beyond.

Fresh cool air hit her face as she ran out on to the streets. The smells, the light, the sounds, barraged her senses, causing her to slow momentarily. It was all Cloud needed. He leapt in the air and landed in front of her. She lashed out with her sword before his feet touched the ground. Cloud parried her blow and turned her sword. The force of it stunned him. "_Where does she get the strength_," he asked himself. She could hear the question in his mind and chuckled.

"You know where, Cloud. She got it from YOU!" Jenova said as she spun on him, bringing her sword down for a killing blow. Cloud brought his sword up to meet hers and there was a crash of thunder as the two warriors battled.

"TIFA!" Cloud screamed at her. She had to hear him. She had to fight Jenova.

"TIFA, FIGHT . . . FIGHT!" he screamed again.

"Tifa's busy," said Jenova with a chuckle. She wielded her sword, blow after blow, whirling and spinning. The clash of their sword sent up sparks and flashes of blurred light as they parried and spun. Their battle raged on, moving from the front of the house to a twisted tower of concrete and metal that used to be a tall building. Jenova leapt from ledge to ledge, leading Cloud higher up the structure.

Cid and Red finally found Tendo's house as the battle above them raged. They could see it from a distance as the clash of swords caused a bright electrical display. Cid rushed into the house and slammed into Barret as he ran out.

"Where is Tendo?" he yelled. Barret pointed behind him to the small man cowering in the corner of the kitchen where he hid as Jenova and Cloud ran past. Cid ran over to him and hauled him to his feet.

"What did you give her?" he screamed at the man, his face inches away.

Barret stopped in his tracks and looked back at the exchange. At that moment, Reno walked into the room, still handcuffed.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" yelled Barret.

"Not now, Barret," said Red. He turned to Tendo, still trembling in Cid's strong grip. Red snarled and leapt at Tendo, his claws unsheathed, and slammed him down on the ground. The huge dog stood over the prone man and bared his fangs in a lethal growl.

"What did you give her?" he demanded.

"I . . . I . . . I gave her a drug. A counter agent that will help her fight Jenova," he said in a shaking voice. Red growled again and sunk his claws into the man's shoulder, drawing blood. Tendo screamed in pain and struggled to get free.

"What did you give her?" he asked again, this time with an dangerous edge to his voice. His claws sank deeper, drawing more blood.

"Ok, ok . . . let me up and I'll tell you." Red stood back from him but kept his claws unsheathed.

"I gave her . . . a concentrated dose of stem cells and Jenova DNA. She needs a host for . . ., " he said, his voice trailing off as he saw the look of murder in Vincent's face.

"Can it be reversed?" Red asked. Tendo looked at the animal and smiled faintly.

"Not now, not anymore," said Reno. "Not if you don't want to turn her into a vegetable." He shook his head and walked over to Tendo, his hands still bound behind his back. "You've used that concoction before, haven't you Tendo. You've used it on SOLDIER recruits . . . experimental subjects. You used it on my FRIEND!" He kicked viciously at Tendo, sending the older man to his knees in pain.

"Why! Why did you do that?" Barret screamed at Tendo. Before the man had a chance to answer a shot rang out. Tendo's body jerked and the top of his head exploded as Vincent's bullet ripped through his skull. He slowly slumped to the ground; his unseeing eyes open wide in surprise.

Reno stood over the dead body, red blood seeping from the gaping wound in its head and flowing around his feet. "Damm, I wanted to do that," he whispered.

Cid glanced at Red. He walked over to Reno and uncuffed him. He smacked the younger man in the head. "Behave, or you'll find yourself with one of those," he said jerking his chin at the body on the floor. Reno rubbed his wrists to get the blood flowing back through them and grinned.

Above them, Cloud struggled with Jenova. He called desperately to Tifa, begging her to fight Jenova. He didn't want to hurt Tifa. All he could do was block Jenova's attacks and hope that Tifa would regain her foothold on her sanity and distract Jenova long enough for him to disarm and restrain her.

Jenova could see that Cloud was tiring. His parries came slower and clumsier as she barraged him with strikes and counter strikes. Her strength was not waning. She could keep this up forever.

Deep in the dark recesses of her mind, Tifa drifted in the blackness. All her senses, her hearing, eyesight, touch, everything, had been stripped away and she floated in a completely disembodied state. All she had were her own thoughts, her memories. Her starving mind searched for a memory, any memory that would fill the void. Scenes of her early childhood played out before her as though she was watching them on a movie screen. First they were only blurred, colorless images that made no sense to her. Slowly however her memories filled in the images with color and they became sharper, more coherent. Then she heard sound; sound from the memories playing in her mind.

She searched for a strong memory; one that would bring her back to the present. She searched her mind for the strongest and found her baby. She focused on her daughter's face, saw her sleeping, sucking her thumb. She saw the glow radiating from her chest and remembered. She remembered a cloud . . . a cloud . . . cloud . . . Cloud! His face flashed in her mind. She saw his deep blue eyes and heard his voice faintly calling her name. She felt his kiss, his touch on her body, the smell of him as he held her close.

Kadj and his brothers too saw the battle raging in the twisted tower above them. They had silently followed Rude's car through the streets of the bombed out city and watched while the three men ran into the house. Kadj looked up at Jenova and Cloud fighting above them and smiled. That's where he needed to be.

"Stay here," he ordered his brothers as he ran to the building and climbed the tower.

"Tifa . . .," she heard the word. It meant something. The voice that spoke it sounded familiar.

"Tifa . . .," she heard it again. She felt herself slowly move towards the sound.

"Tifa . . . fight." She became more aware of her surroundings. She felt . . . pain. Was that what it was?

"Tifa . . . Tifa . . . TIFA FIGHT!" Her eyes flew open and registered Cloud's face before her. She felt the sword in her hand and watched as it sliced towards his neck.

Cloud struggled with Jenova on top of the twisted building, his sword locked with hers, pushing against him. His face was inches from hers. He looked into her eyes and saw them change . . . change back to Tifa's beautiful round burgundy eyes.

Tifa dropped the sword from her hand and stumbled back, looking at Cloud in shock. He was cut and bleeding and close to collapse. She looked around her and saw that they were atop a tall building with twisted jagged metal all around her.

"Cloud . . . ?" she asked. She stepped towards him and stumbled again. He caught her before she hit the ground and held her in his arms, his sword lying on the ground near his feet.

"Tifa, are you with me?" he whispered.

Jenova was enraged. She had let her guard down momentarily, distracted by Tifa's struggle to surface from her insanity. The lapse was enough let her through. Jenova fought her way back, pushing Tifa down. She spun out of Cloud's arms and stood over him. Her hand reached out to her sword lying on the ground at her feet. It leapt through the air into her hand. She raised it above her head to bring down on Cloud, still kneeling on the ground where he had been holding Tifa just moments before.

Cloud looked up at Tifa standing over him and saw that she was again possessed by Jenova. She raised the sword above her head and grinned down at him, her face twisted with the evil within.

Tifa knew now who she was. She knew that she had to fight Jenova or Cloud would die at her hand and Jenova would win. She struggled back with everything she had. The voices of the Others filled her mind with their horrors and their screaming, threatening to push her back into the abyss.

"Fight them, Tifa," the soft childlike voice whispered in her mind.

"Who . . . ?" she asked. As soon as she asked the question, she knew. It was the voice of her daughter speaking to her from her womb. It galvanized her into action and gave her the strength she needed for the final push as she turned to face Jenova for the last time. She willed her hand to stop moving and drop the sword it held.

Cloud saw her eyes flash back to Tifa's beautiful round eyes and watched as she dropped the sword again. She stumbled away from him clutching her belly.

"Go Cloud. Go before she comes back," she whispered with a hoarse voice. He jumped to his feet and reached out to catch her but she pushed him away.

"No, don't come near me. I can't hold her for long." Tifa stumbled towards the edge of the ledge they had been fighting on and reached out for the wall that wasn't there.

"She won't win, Cloud," Tifa said, turning to look back at him with her clear burgundy eyes. She turned and threw herself off the ledge. She fell two stories to the floor below.

"NOOOOOOO!" Cloud screamed. He rushed to catch her as she fell but could only reach the hem of her coat.

He watched as she fell, impaled by a twisted piece of metal sticking out of the ground.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41 – Rage**

"TIFA . . . NOOOOOOOO!" Cloud screamed. He sank to his knees at the ledge Tifa had jumped from and looked down upon her body two floors below him. Gone was the silver coat and sword; she looked so frail and broken lying on the concrete, wearing only Barret's old t-shirt. He threw his head back and let out an anguished howl that reverberated around the city. The men below heard the scream and rushed out of the house to look up at the tower above them.

Kadj had reached the tower just in time to see Tifa fall. He stopped in his tracks with a look of shock on his face. "No!" he whispered as he raced to her body. Above him, Cloud saw Kadj run towards Tifa. Something in his mind snapped. He snarled and jumped down between the approaching Kadj and Tifa, his sword drawn.

Barret and the others turned as Kadj raced for the tower and saw Loz and Yazoo standing by their bikes. Red sprang away after Kadj. Barret, Reno and the others to face Loz and Yazoo.

"Don't touch her," he snarled with murder in his voice. Kadj skidded to a stop and pulled his sword out of its scabbard. Cloud charged at Kadj with a scream, swinging his huge sword down on his head. Kadj spun out of reach and stood to face Cloud. The two men ran at each other and clashed, their swords slashing and whirling through the air. Kadj parried and blocked Cloud's furious attacks as he was pushed back through the building away from Tifa. Cloud's rage fueled his spent muscles. His mind was full of wild hate for Kadj; he represented everything that kept Cloud from Tifa and he wanted Kadj's blood. He charged and forced Kadj to retreat. Cloud was too fast for him. All Kadj could do was block Cloud's blows. He could not gain his balance to launch his own attack on Cloud. They battled on, Cloud pushing him higher and higher in the building.

Red reached Tifa's body and turned to look at the others down on the ground. They were locked in battle with the brothers. He could make out Vincent's red cape swirling and flying around Yazoo, bullets whizzing all about. Barret, Reno, and Cid took on Loz. He turned back to Tifa and nudged her, smelling her scent.

"_She's alive!" _he thought to himself. He looked over her injuries. Her shoulder was impaled by the sharp piece of metal on which she had fallen. She had a number of cuts where Cloud's sword had nicked her during their battle, and she was unconscious. He nudged her again, trying to rouse her from her slumber.

"Tifa, wake up," he said softly in her ear. She stirred and moaned with pain as she came around. "Don't move, Tifa. You're hurt," he said.

"Cloud . . ."

"He's around here somewhere, now please just lay still. You have a piece of metal in your shoulder."

She gingerly felt along her arm to her shoulder with her fingers and stopped when she felt the hard sharp metal protruding through her flesh.

"It hurts," she said softly.

Cloud and Kadj had reached the top most level of the building. Kadj's sword arm and feet had grown heavy. He struggled to stay out of the reach of Cloud's sword but he stumbled and fell to the ground. Cloud saw the opening and moved in for the final killing blow. Just as he struck, Kadj gathered his remaining strength and launched himself into the air. His leap took him high above Cloud where he hovered for a few seconds. As he began to fall, his body started to spin. He spun so fast that Cloud could only see a blue of white and grey.

"My daughter lives!" The crystal clear sound of Jenova's voice above him sent a concussion through the air, knocking Cloud to his knees. A blinding light filled the sky as Kadj stopped spinning to hover over Cloud. A single black wing unfurled from Kadj's shoulder blade and flapped briefly before wrapping him in a final embrace. The light suddenly extinguished and black feathers came fluttering down around Cloud.

Cloud collapsed in exhaustion. Now that his battle was over and his rage spent, his body finally gave out. He sat on the roof with his head in his hands and his sword on the ground next to him. _"I've done it again. I watched her die and did nothing to help her,"_ he thought.

"She's not dead, Cloud."

He heard the voice behind him and turned to see Red.

"What? She must be, I saw her fall . . .," said Cloud.

"She's alive and she needs you. Come," Red answered. He jumped off the ledge to the floor below and ran back to Tifa. Cloud followed after him, Jenova's words returning to him.

They reached her moments later. She lay where Red had left her with her eyes closed against the pain in her shoulder and back. Cloud skidded to a stop and knelt next to her. He touched her cheek and her eyes opened. He laughed quickly and smiled when he saw her beautiful round burgundy-colored eyes looking up at him. He gently gathered her in his arms, careful not to nudge the metal in her shoulder. She groaned as he moved her and squeezed her eyes shut against the pain.

"She's hurt, Cloud. We have to get her to a hospital," Red said quietly. Cloud nodded. He stood carefully with Tifa in his arms and held her close. Her head lay heavy against his shoulder.

"She's gone, Cloud. I don't hear the Others anymore," she whispered.

"You did it baby, you won," he said quietly to her.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42 – Safe**

The men on the ground stopped their battle and turned to look in shock as Kadj's body spun high in the air and disappeared in a rain of feathers. Loz and Yazoo both screamed in rage and turned to run to their bikes. Reno was the first to recover. He rushed Yazoo and threw his leg out to trip him. Yazoo leaped easily over Reno's leg and landed on his bike. They both kicked their bikes to life and roared off before the others could get to them.

Reno picked himself up from the ground and brushed off his coat.

"Dammit," Cid swore under his breath. They all thought the same thing; where were the two remaining brothers going now and when would they make their next appearance?

Red ran up to them. "She needs to get to a hospital, now!" he yelled. They turned to see Cloud walking towards them carrying a bleeding Tifa in his arms. His sweater was stained dark and wet where she lay against him. He walked directly to Barret's SUV and placed Tifa gently in the back seat. Without saying a word, Barret ran to the truck and jumped in the driver's seat. Cid threw Rude's car keys at Reno and jumped into the seat next to Barret. Red and Reno ran to the car and climbed in, firing up the engine. Vincent followed them and squeezed into the back seat.

"We take her back to the ship. We have to find a hospital quickly. This town doesn't have one anymore," said Barret.

They arrived back at Sierra and loaded both vehicles on the craft. Cloud lay Tifa carefully down on a bunk in the crew quarters and ripped away the cloth surrounding her shoulder wound to expose her bleeding flesh. Tifa groaned in pain and struggled to remain conscious. She looked up at Cloud with pleading eyes and reached out to him. She clutched his arm in a vice-like grip. This was her life-line. This man. She would never let him go again.

Cloud grimaced at the pain Tifa's fingers left on his arm. He gently pried her hand loose and held it in his. He leaned down to kiss her forehead and on her lips.

"You're safe now, baby. We're taking you to a hospital. Just hang on Tifa. Please just hang on a little longer," he whispered.

Reno stood behind them, watching. The events of the past few hours and his own actions confused him. For the first time in his life, he wasn't so sure of himself. This is not how things were supposed to happen. He was supposed to kill Cloud and Kadj and bring Tifa back; he knew that. But something had started a change in him back in Rufus's office. His mention of helping Tifa regain her sanity brought the memory of his visit to the veteran's hospital back with a jolt. Suddenly all the feelings of hate and loathing he had so effectively pushed out of his conscience came flooding back. Reno sighed and walked away to find Rude. He had some explaining to do.

Cid stood at the controls of his ship and punched some keys on the console in front of him. He searched for the nearest hospital. After a few minutes, he found one.

"Nibelheim," he said to the others standing on the bridge. "That's the nearest city with a hospital. It's about two hours away." He punched the coordinates into the ship's navigation system and started the engines. Sierra shuddered slightly as she lifted into the air, free of her earthly bonds.

Beneath them Cloud and Tifa could feel the ship lift into the air. "_They must have found a hospital_," Cloud said to himself. He looked back down to Tifa and smiled as he rubbed a stray strand of her hair between his fingers.

"It won't be long now, Tifa. Just hang on a little longer."

She closed her eyes and smiled. She was very tired and in a great deal of pain from her shoulder wound and the fall from the building. She started to drift off to sleep and heard Cloud's voice from a great distance. She felt the pain in her shoulder and back fade as she floated weightless on a soft, warm cloud.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw her daughter before her. "_She's safe_," Tifa thought. The unborn child opened her eyes to gaze at her mother and Tifa saw that they were a dark burgundy color, just like hers. Tifa smiled and closed her eyes again to drift off to a deep sleep.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43 – The Birth**

They arrived at Nibelheim two hours later, just as Cid had predicted, and circled over the huge city searching for the hospital. A map of the city streets displayed on a console before Cid. He had the hospital marked and steered his ship towards it. "_Hopefully it will have a landing pad,_" he thought to himself as he struggled with the precise maneuvers required to guide the ship through the tangle of steel, concrete and glass jungle below.

The other men stood in front of him watching the city pass beneath them through the clear hull. The sprawling hospital complex came into view as they rounded a large skyscraper and they could see the blinking lights of a helicopter landing pad on the roof.

"We'll be making an unauthorized landing. I hope they don't mind visitors," said Cid, not taking his eyes off the console in front of him.

Barret and Cid left the bridge to tell Cloud they were about to land. They found him sitting on the bunk next to a sleeping Tifa. He had let her drift off to sleep and watched her chest rise and fall with her regular breathing, not leaving her side for a minute during the two hour ride to the hospital. He looked up as they entered the room.

"How is she? How are _you_?" asked Barret.

Now that the adrenaline that had driven his rage against Kadj had faded, his body was screaming at him that it needed food and rest. He smiled at his friends and stood to face them.

"She's sleeping, finally," he said softly.

"We're about to land at the hospital. Let's get her out of here," said Barret, moving to pick Tifa up. Cloud put out a hand and stopped Barret.

"I'll do it," he said quietly. As he lifted her, Tifa's arm fell to her side and she groaned with pain and woke from her sleep. Barret gently placed her arm back across her waist to relieve the pressure on her wounded shoulder. She laid her head back on Cloud's shoulder and closed her eyes against the pain.

They left the ship to find a group of people standing on the landing pad looking up at the ship. They approached Cloud as he stepped onto the tarmac with what looked like an injured girl in his arms. She was obviously very pregnant and bleeding from a shoulder wound. A young doctor stepped forward from the small group and brushed Tifa's hair away from her face. Her skin tone was pale; she had lost a lot of blood. He was concerned about the metal spike in her shoulder. He looked up at Cloud and recognized the look of a man at his end of his rope.

"Lets bring her inside, ok?" he said gently. He motioned to two others in the group who pushed a gurney over to him. Cloud looked at Tifa and gently kissed her forehead. He carefully placed her on the gurney and stepped back and watched as they wheeled her into the building. The young doctor turned back to Cloud and grabbed him by the arm as his knees gave way beneath him. Cloud struggled to regain his footing and shrugged off the other man's hand. The familiar throb that was always present in his arm changed to a piercing pain and he gasped and clutched his arm, sinking to his knees again.

"This man is hurt too," the doctor yelled at the group of nurses behind him. "Bring a chair for him quickly."

"No, I can walk," said Cloud through gritted teeth. He fought against the pain and stood back to his feet. "You take care of her first," he said to the doctor. The young man looked into Cloud's eyes and saw the resolve on his face.

"Ok, let's go and see what we can do for her, shall we?" he said gently. He turned and motioned Cloud to follow him back into the hospital.

Cloud and the others waited outside the room they had brought Tifa to. He wasn't happy that he was not allowed to be with her and Barret and Vincent had to hold him back when they stopped him from trying to get to her.

"You can watch everything we do through this window," said the doctor, trying to reassure Cloud. He put a hand on his arm. "You've done a good job of getting her here. Now let us help her," he said gently.

Cloud nodded and walked over to the glass window separating him from Tifa.

A little later the young doctor returned and walked over to Cloud. He looked tired and concerned.

"We're taking her into surgery now to remove that spike in her shoulder. She's very weak. She lost a lot of blood and of course the pregnancy doesn't make it any easier." He paused and looked up at Cloud. "What do you know about that glow from her belly?"

Cloud sighed and told him everything he knew. The doctor listened silently, interrupting only when Cloud explained that his DNA had been altered by Dr. Hiro. DNA that he had passed on to his unborn daughter.

"So you were with SOLDIER?" he asked.

"Yes, briefly," Cloud responded, shifting his feet on the ground.

"And you have Geostigma?" asked the doctor.

Cloud looked up at him sharply. He smiled back at Cloud. "It's obvious," he said. "Your arm is affected?"

"Yes," said Cloud. He pushed up his sleeve and uncovered the black stain on his skin. The sharp pain he experienced on the landing pad had receded back to the throb he had become so used to.

The doctor probed Cloud's arm with his fingers and mumbled "yes, so many have it now. I wish we had a way to cure it."

"Me too," said Cloud quietly, pushing his sleeve back down to hide the marks. "Tifa, will she be ok?" he asked.

"Yes, I think so. I'll come back and talk to you again when she comes out of surgery. In the meantime, you need to try and rest," said the doctor. He turned and walked back out of the room.

Cloud sat by Tifa as she slept. Her shoulder was wrapped in clean bandages put there after the surgeon had removed the spike. Cloud had drifted off to sleep himself as he sat in the big comfortable chair at Tifa's bedside. She stirred from her slumber and looked around her. Her shoulder ached dully as the pain medication started to wear off. She realized that she was in a hospital and looked down at the bandages on her shoulder. She ran her hand over her swollen stomach and felt that it become as hard as a rock.

"Its time, Tifa," said a soft voice in her mind.

"Will she be . . . normal?" Tifa asked Aeris.

"No child of yours and Cloud's could ever be called normal. She will always be exceptional, but she is _your_ child now, not Jenova's," answered Aeris with a smile.

Tifa felt a growing wave of pain radiating from her lower back around her stomach. She groaned loudly and doubled over, holding her stomach with her good arm.

"Cloud . . .," she called to him to wake him up. "Cloud, I think it's time.

Hours later, Tifa lay on the birthing bed, sweating and panting as she pushed against the next contraction. She had labored hard for an hour now and she was exhausted. Each contraction felt like a thousand knives ripping through her body, but urged on by Cloud and her doctor she continued to push with everything she had left.

"Almost there, Tifa. I see her head. Just one more big push," said the doctor.

"I love you Tifa," Cloud whispered in her ear. He held her hand and let her fingernails dig into his hand as she fought the wave of pain washing over her.

When the contraction came, she bore down and pushed with all her strength, screaming as she felt her insides ripping apart. She felt a sudden woosh as the baby finally passed out of her and was born. She fell back on the bed and closed her eyes. Cloud kissed her and wiped the sweat away from her forehead.

"Look, Tifa," he whispered in her ear. She opened her eyes and saw her baby lying on the bed between her legs. The doctor handed Cloud a pair of scissors and she watched while he cut the umbilical cord. The doctor looked up at Cloud and nodded.

"I'll take care of this personally, you don't have to worry," he said. Cloud had spoken with the doctor just as Tifa had gone into labor and explained that Tifa's stem cells must not fall into the wrong hands. The doctor promised to destroy the cord and the placenta himself.

A nurse placed the naked baby on Tifa's chest and stomach. She lay still listening to her mother's heart beat, opened her eyes and looked at her father.

"She has your eyes," he said softly, smiling through his tears.

Many miles away, high up in the mountains, Yazoo sat in front of a roaring fire in the living room. He was deep in thought when something broke his reverie. He stood up and strained to hear what had caught his attention. Loz looked up at his brother with a question on his face. Yazoo slowly smiled and turned to his brother.

"She's born," he said simply.


	44. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Tifa walked along the beach and let the warm waves lap over her bare feet. The sea breeze blew gently across the wide expanse of deserted beach and picked up her long brown hair, swirling it around her shoulders. The hem of her long skirt got soaked by a wave that crashed against her, making the fabric stick to her legs. She smiled and closed her eyes, letting the warm sun soak into her skin and the clean breeze caress her face.

Off in the distance, she heard the lilting sound of a child's laughter. She brought her hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun and saw two figures running towards her. One was a tiny girl with long blonde hair. She was being chased by a taller figure that scooped her up in his arms and put her on his shoulders. They ran towards Tifa, both laughing at their game.

Cloud pulled Tifa to him and circled her slim waist with his arms. A chubby little hand slipped over one eye.

"Down, Daddy, down," his daughter demanded. Cloud smiled and swung his daughter back down on the sand, patted her on her rump, and watched as she ran off to look for sea shells.

"She wanted to come and find you," he said. He turned back to Tifa's and watched her face as she watched her daughter run across the sand. He turned her face to his and kissed her lips softly. Tifa slipped her arms around Cloud's neck as he pulled her close.

"I love you," Tifa whispered. She smiled as she felt him grow hard through the thin fabric of her skirt. She looked up into his eyes and kissed him passionately.

"It's her nap time soon. We need some more practice," she said with that sexy smile that drove him wild.

_Author's Note: There are many plot threads that I have intentionally left unresolved. The obvious ones are Yazoo and Loz. What are they planning? Also, I have not offered a cure for Geostigma as the movie did. What happens to Reno now that he has gone against Rufus and what of Rufus himself? All these are grist for the mill for future stories. _

_Some of you have asked if you can expand on some of the back stories I have introduced in Rebirth, such as Vincent's past. I'm proud that you may have been inspired by something I have written and would love to see some of your work. In fact, I am thinking of issuing a challenge to anyone who might want to develop a storyline that branches off Rebirth and explores some of the places I haven't gone yet. Let me know if you're interested._

_I am very grateful for the interest Rebirth has generated. The story has over 7500 hits so far! Wow, I never expected that when I started. In fact, I really never knew where the story was taking me until the last few chapters. It's been a blast following Tifa and Cloud on their journey. Thanks again for all your kind words._


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